Long may she reign
by MioneB
Summary: Hermione and Draco embark on an unexpected journey that could change their history and maybe even their future.
1. Chapter 1

Hi guys! This is my very first fanfic and I really could use your feedback and reviews. English isn't my mothertongue so please bear with me if I make any mistakes, I'm trying to avoid them at any costs though!

 **Chapter 1: The prophecy**

Hermione rubbed her hand over the picture in the book her grandmother had sent her. The woman in the picture, or painting rather was the princess of some country that no longer exists. She sighed and grabbed the letter next to it.

 _My dearest Hermione,_

 _I found this book while I was doing some research for one of my books about the history of Europe and upon seeing this painting I simply coulndn't put it down again. This girl is the princess of Agron, a country whose name had all but been erased from every historybook I ever read. It was a part of our British Isles and as we all know, the victors write history. The English erased everything they possibly could about this county after overtaking it. But none of that would be of much interest to you, I believe. But the girl in the picture should, she is the spitting image of yourself. I have never seen a more striking resemblance to anyone I have ever known. In any way, my darling, I wanted you to have it._

 _I miss you and I love you,  
Your grandmother _

Hermione examined the girl in the picture. She did look a lot like her. The same golden brown eyes, the same curly brown hair. It was rather odd, like looking at a picture of oneself, only not. It didn't mean anything though. It wouldn't matter that a girl who lived a thousands of years ago looked like her. She was definitely no princess of anything, although she had heard some people refer to her as the golden princess of Gryffindor, but that was just a nickname people used while gossiping about her. It didn't mean anything. She slammed the book shut and stuffed the rest of things in her bag. The book her grandmother gifted her she held in her arms as she got up from her table in the library. She was walking the hallways on her way to the Gryffindor tower and she opened the book once more. Finding herself oddly fascinated by the other girl. It felt as though she knew the girl on paper, as if they had met eachother before. Having her nose in a book had made her clumsy before, and this time was no different. She was already muttering her apologies when she steadied herself against another body. Her mouth snapped shut as she found the eyes of the person she had so clumsily walked into. His hands were on her arms, keeping her steady as her hands rested on his chest. They remained like that for a second, before they both took a step back in disgust.  
"The least you could do, Granger, is not sully anyone with your filth by keeping your eyes on the road." He hissed.  
She wasn't feeling like having another pointless argument with the likes of Malfoy, so she merely rolled her eyes at him before kneeling to retrieve her book. He snatched it from her hand.  
"What's this Granger, trying to find some ounce of royal blood in your dirty veins?" he smirked.  
"Give it back, Malfoy, it's no business of yours" she hissed. She tried to grab the book, but he turned away from her and opened it on the page that had her grandmother's letter on it. Hermione watched him intently as his eyes grew big when gazing upon the picture of the girl.  
"Give it here, Malfoy" she commanded again. He turned to her.  
"Where did you get this?" he asked, seemingly forgetting about his usual condescending look.  
"It was given to me by my grandmother, why?" she raised her eyebrow in question. He slapped the book shut and walked away from her, leaving her behind in the dark hallway, wondering and questioning what made him react that way.

The next day went by without Hermione noticing. Classes seemed duller than they ever had before and she hardly noticed when Harry and Ron talked to her. To be totally honest, they usually went on about the exact same things. Voldemort, horcruxes, Dumbledore, and Malfoy. Every time they mentioned his name, her interest peaked. She was oddly interested in the person that was Draco Malfoy. The previous night she had seen something that she had never noticed before. There was something about Draco Malfoy that was interesting and mysterious. The way he had reacted to him seeing the picture in the book made her feel weird. It shouldn't have bothered him in any way. So there was a princess that once existed that looked a bit like her. It wasn't her, so it shouldn't matter to him. She also wanted her book back, so she was determined to seek Draco Malfoy out today. That night, she was roaming the halls on the way to the library when someone grabbed her and all but threw her into an empty classroom. She quickly regained her composure and her wand was pointed at the assailant. The classroom was dark and she couldn't see the person standing on the opposite side of the room.  
"Who are you and what do you think you're doing?" she angrily asked. The man stepped forward and Hermione's eyes met the ones she had been seeking in the crowd all day. "Malfoy?! What the hell is this?" she hissed, not removing her wand.  
"I still have your book" he answered.  
She raised her eyebrows. "yeah, you do. Do you plan on giving it to me then?" she asked.  
"Sure, I'll give you your book." He rummaged through his bag and handed her the book.  
"Thank you" She whispered. She put her wand back in her robes and made her way to the door. She reached for the doorknob but suddenly, Malfoy's arm prevented her an exit. She turned her head to him and found herself uncomfortably close to him. His breath ruffled her golden brown curls.  
"I didn't bring you here to give you a book, we need to talk" he whispered.  
"Fine then, talk" she whispered, her breathing ragged.  
"That book your grandmother gave you. Did you read it?" he asked.  
"What? No,not yet, I just saw the page with the picture of the princess of Argon." She answered.  
"You should look at the rest of the book" he stated before opening the door and leaving her in the classroom. Hermione was even more confused now. She sat down on one of the chairs in the room, the book in her lap. She opened it once again on the page with the picture. The girl that looked so much like her, the unnamed princess. How do princesses remain unnamed was still a mystery to her. She turned the page and gasped. There it was, the reason why Malfoy wanted her to read the entire book. There, one the next page was another picture, a man this time. His grey eyes as familiar to her as the golden brown eyes of the girl on the previous page. His blonde hair as telling as his ivory complexion. The words underneath the picture were even weirder. _King Draco I of England.  
_ "He even has the same name" she whispered. She slammed the book shut and ran after Malfoy. She found him, in the girls lavatory.  
"This is what you wanted me to see, isn't it. Why? Because it is once again proof that even in history anyone who bears resemblance to me will be lower than you. That to you, I will always be inferior?" she yelled.  
"What?" he looked stunned. She walked over to him and slapped him.  
"You really are vile, Malfoy." She hissed.  
"That's what you think, isn't it?" he answered. She rolled her eyes and turned away from him. When she started walking he grabbed her wrist.  
"That's not why I showed you the book" he continued.  
"Then why?" she continued. Despite all her efforts, there were tears welling up in her eyes, dangerously close to rolling down her cheek.  
"There is a prophecy" he started. "A prophecy about me. I never put much faith in it, it sounded like rubbish until I saw your book." He let go of her wrist and turned away from her.  
"What could my book, my muggle book for that matter, have to do with your prophecy." She didn't believe a word he was saying.

 _The girl whose likeness will be seen in a book will change your history, sealed with a true love's kiss._

He muttered the prophecy so quietly she had to step closer to hear it.  
"That sounds like the stuff of fairy tales. Even if it were true, there must be millions of girls who resemble some old person in a book." She reasoned.  
"That wouldn't matter, it was your face that appeared on the page." He turned to her.  
"Of course it matters! We loathe eachother, there is literally no universe in which we would share anything, let alone a true love's kiss. You are surely mistaken." She didn't know whom she was trying to convince, herself of him. He sighed. She felt the atmosphere in the room change, and felt as though she won this battle. She turned to leave Malfoy to his thoughts, but he wasn't finished yet. He slammed her into the wall, his body pressed up against hers.  
"What the hell, Malfoy." She hissed. She was planning on telling him off, but his lips blocked her words. He pressed them hungrily to hers. She gasped and he used that moment to gain entry to her mouth. He tasted like apples and winter and for a second, she lost herself in the moment and joined him in the kiss. The second she did, the world started to spin. Hermione broke the kiss to steady herself, but she was met with Malfoy's eyes. He looked terrified. The world wasn't just spinning, it was shaking too. And not from the passionate moment they had, but in real life.  
"What's happening?" she yelled. He shook his head.  
"I don't know" he sounded scared, terrified even. He grabbed her hand and seconds later, the entire world went black. It felt like apparating, only worse and she blacked out the minute she felt Malfoy's hand disappear from her hand.

Hermione turned in her bed, wrapping the blankets tighter around her petite form. She heard the cracking of the fire and wished it were bigger. The room was cold and she still wanted to remain in her soft fortress for some minutes later. She heard someone open the door and enter her room. Probably some other Gryffindor.  
"Your Grace, it's time to get dressed" she heard a voice say.


	2. Chapter 2

First of all, thank you guys for the follows and the reviews! I've tried to take the suggestions you guys made and use them for this chapter! I know the first chapter felt a bit rushed, I'm trying to slow it down a little bit. Enjoy this new chapter!

 **Chapter 2: Your Grace**

Hermione turned in her bed, wrapping the blankets tighter around her petite form. She heard the cracking of the fire and wished it were bigger. The room was cold and she still wanted to remain in her soft fortress for some minutes later. She heard someone open the door and enter her room. Probably some other Gryffindor.  
"Your Grace, it's time to get dressed" she heard a voice say.  
"Your what?" she answered, slowly opening her eyes. She was definitely not in her rooms in Hogwarts. The room was big and she was sleeping in a four poster bed with beautifully lavish sheets atop her.  
"Who are you?" she looked at the girl standing in her room. She looked confused.  
"I am your maid, your grace, I came to help you get dressed and prepared for your meeting." Hermione got up and looked at the girl.  
"Surely I can dress myself?" she raised an eyebrow.  
"I'm sorry, your grace, but they insisted." The girl walked over to Hermione and started her dressing. Hermione wasn't sure what was happening, but this dressing ceremony seemed something she couldn't get out of so she let it happen. The girl wrapped her in a very tight corset and laced it so tight Hermione wasn't sure she could still breathe.  
"What's your name?" she asked, trying to distract herself from the lack of oxygen.  
"Anna, your Grace." The girl never looked her in the eye. "Which of these dresses would you like me to dress you in?" she asked. Hermione looked at the three dresses on mannequins in her room. They were all stunning but she decided on a white off shoulder gown.  
"Where are we?" she asked the girl.  
"We're at English court, your grace" The girl responded.  
"Well, alright then, and what am I doing here?" she asked.  
"You're meeting your fiancée today, your Grace." Hermione frowned, her fiancée. What in the name of god was happening. She needed to find Malfoy and get back to Hogwarts. When Anna had finished with her, she looked positively regal. The white gown flowed down with an elegance Hermione had never witnessed. A silver belt made of leaves wrapped around her waist, which was crazy tiny after being tied into a corset. Her golden brown curls cascaded down her neck, tamed with beautiful silver leaves.  
"I don't think I've ever looked so feminine" Hermione smiled at herself.  
"Your Grace, you always look beautiful" the girl whispered.  
"Thank you Anna, so where do I go now?" she smiled.  
"The royal guard is outside and is waiting to escort you" Anna continued.  
"Royal guard? Well, alright then." Hermione held her head high and she was going to play along with this charade until she found Malfoy. Outside her door were three man carrying weapons.  
"We are here to escort you to your fiancee, your Grace" they explained. She nodded and followed them. She was definitely in a castle. The walls were made of stone and the hallways seemed endless.

They walked her into a very large room with lots of people. She heard someone shout her name.  
"Hermione, princess of Argon" they announced her. What. This couldn't be happening. Was someone playing a sick joke on her? Was this Malfoy's doing? She walked into the room.  
"Welcome to English court, Hermione, princess or Argon." A woman with white hair wearing a lavish golden crown smiled at her. Next to her was an older man, wearing a crown as well. Hermione looked around and decided to take a small bow.  
"Thank you for welcoming me to your home" she stated.  
"We are sorry to inform you that our son is currently unavailable, but no matter. You'll meet him eventually." The woman explained. Hermione could only think that these people were the king and queen of England, and that she was to marry their son.

The next hour, she spent having breakfast with her family in law, they didn't talk to her, and she was left to her own devices soon after. She slipped from the eyes of her guards and decided to find Draco Malfoy on her own, he had to be here somewhere and maybe he knew what was going on and he probably had her wand as well. She searched the castle but found him nowhere. No one had heard of someone named Malfoy either. She walked the grounds and found him, finally in the stables.  
"Malfoy!" she yelled at him and he turned, looking very regal. He was wearing silver and black clothes, his coat was velvet. His hair looked as silky smooth as ever.  
"Granger? Hell, I've been looking everywhere for you" he walked over to her.  
"What did you do? Is this some kind of sick joke? What the hell is going on Malfoy, you better start telling me the truth." She hissed, pointing her finger at her.  
"What? You think I did this? I didn't do anything, I'm stuck here, just like you. Now maybe if you can give me my wand back, I can fix this" she corked her eyebrow.  
"I don't have your wand, but I need you to give me back mine." He shook his head.  
"I don't have your wand, Granger. I woke up here, without any of my belongings" Hermione's eyes grew big and she grunted.  
"We need to get out of here, I need to get out of here. Do you know what they plan to do to me? I am engaged to some foolish prince of England who couldn't even be bothered to show up to our official meeting." She hissed.  
"What?" he smirked a little.  
"You heard me!" she punched his chest.  
"You are engaged to the prince of England?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.  
"YES! And some crazy woman came into my room this morning and she dressed me, do you hear me, Malfoy? She dressed me! I need an escort everywhere! And on another note, the king and queen are terrible people, they aren't even nice to me!" she was ranting.  
"Granger!" he hissed.  
"Granger, shut it, people are staring" he hissed again. She just continued ranting so he grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Granger!" she shut her mouth and stared at him.  
"What if this is about the prophecy?" he asked.  
"What? That's ridiculous, I've never heard anything about someone getting sent back in time, cause that is what we're both thinking right?" she looked at him, her golden brown eyes boring into his steely grey ones.  
"I don't know. But I feel different" he whispered.  
"I haven't been able to do any magic since we got here" he explained.  
"But we haven't got our wands," she argued.  
"I was able to do wandless magic, Granger." He sighed.  
"You were? That's really impressive Malfoy" she whispered.  
"Nevermind that, I'll find a way to get us out of here. Now, why don't you get back to where you're supposed to be and we'll meet again later" he whispered. She nodded and turned to walk away from him, looking back for a second to make a mental note that Malfoys, in fact, do look amazing in black.

She walked back to the castle, her dress bundled up in her hands.  
"Your majesty, I've been looking everywhere for you!" The girl named Anne came running towards her.  
"The queen wanted me to inform you that they expect you for a banquet later this evening, to formally announce your engagement to the prince." She bowed her head.  
"I was sent here to help you get ready." Hermione rolled her eyes.  
"I'll escort you to your bath" the girl bowed again. They walked what felt like a mile before finally reaching her chambers. "I want to be left alone to bathe" she insisted. The girls in the room reluctantly agreed, making sure that the guards remained by the door. She undressed, which was quite the achievement. She ended up cutting her corset with a knife, which would probably be frowned upon by many, but who the hell cared. She was here just for a couple more hours and then this nightmare would be over. When she got up and wrapped herself in a sheet she looked at the dresses laid out for her. She decided on a white lace dress, wrapped tightly around her bodice and flowing down like water to the floor. She walked out the door but was soon stopped by her maid.  
"Your grace, you're not completely dressed yet, let me help you" she smiled. Hermione followed the girl back into the room, her eyes rolling to the back of her skull. Apparently, some gold harness jewelry thing was part of the outfit. The girl also dealt with her hair, combing it and taming it into a beautiful loose French braid, some strands were tickling the side of her face.  
"Okay, so am I ready now?" she asked, sounding encredibly annoyed. The girl bowed, which seemed to be the way to agree with her. She once again walked out. There were three guards standing by her door.  
"So, where do I go?" she asked them with a big smiled.  
"Your grace?" they asked, sounding confused.  
"Yes? Where do I go for the dinner?" she asked again.  
"Just point me in the right direction here, thanks" she smiled again. The guards were looking very awkwardly at her before another man joined in.  
"I'll take you there, Lady Hermione, not to worry" The guards mumbled something that sound like Lord James. He was beautiful, raven hair and ice blue eyes. He looked like trouble though.  
"you know my name?" she asked, following the boy down the corridor. He looked at her, one eyebrow raised.  
"Well, Of course I know your name. We met several times before." He told her. Now it was her turn to frown.  
"We're here" he finally said.  
"Well, great, can't wait to find out all about my fiancée." She mockingly said. "Yeah, I heard he's a total ass." He smirked, before pressing a kiss on her hand and walking away. Hermione went to open the door, but was, again, halted by her guards.  
"Your grace, you need to be announced first." The man whispered.  
"Okay fine, announce away." She threw her hands up. She heard her name announced. _Hermione, princess of Argon, heir to the throne._ What.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: trapped**

Draco was standing in a throne room, dressed in the finest black robes. His hair had never been so soft, before leaving he had to figure out what products they gave him.  
"now remember, my darling, you'll have to marry this girl, so try to like her just a little bit" the woman next to him hissed, he presumed she was the Queen. It didn't take him long to figure out who was who in this court. From across the room, a blonde girl was eyeing him and sending him suggestive glances. And then they announced her. He heard her name and looked at the door, fully prepared to see the bushy know it all Granger barge in to the room as the unrefined girl she was, but nothing could prepare him for what happened next. In walked a beautifully elegant girl in white. The dressed hugged her body just right and pulled his attention to parts of her he never knew existed. Her hair was tamed into lush curls dancing with every step she took. She took a bow and stood in front of the three royals.  
"Welcome back to court, Lady Hermione, we're so pleased to have you back and engaged to our beloved son and heir to the throne, Prince Draco" the king smiled at her and Draco stepped forward. Offering her his hand. He saw her eyes grow big before she took his hand. He stood by her side and the sound of her voice resonated in his ears.  
"I thank you, your majesty, for your kindness and hospitality" The music started playing and Draco grabbed Hermione's waist and courted her along the dancefloor with the entre royal court watching them.  
"You handled that quite well, Granger" he whispered to her.  
"As do you, why do I feel like you've danced like this before." She smiled at him.  
"Perks of being a pureblood" he smirked. Their bodies were in perfect harmony on the dancefloor, her dress flowing in the air as he picked her up and swirled her around. After a little while, other people joined the dance and Hermione and Draco slowed down; staring at eachother. Just for a second and the next minute someone grabbed her hand.  
"Mind if I cut in?" Hermione looked at the person grabbing her hand and looked into the stale blue eyes of James, the boy who had brought her here.  
"By all means" Draco let go of her and Hermione was swept off by James. Draco retreated to the sidelines and watched them. He was tall and dark haired, and Draco didn't like him. He watched his hands on her waist and he watched as he swirled her around on the dancefloor. Inside, his gut was feeling odd. At the end of the dance, he bent over her, her hair almost touching the tiled on the floor, his face was inches from hers. Draco clenched his fists, not really knowing why.

Hermione felt his breath against her face and he smirked at her. He pulled her upright again and held on to her a little longer.  
"That was quite the dance, Lord James" she gasped.  
"You weren't so bad either, Lady Hermione" he smiled at her. "I'll leave you to your fiancée, but don't you dare forget about me" he left her in the middle of the dancefloor, looking slightly confused. She walked back to the side of the room to grab a drink and poured wine down her throat.  
"Have fun out there?" she turned to see Draco standing next to her.  
"What?" she was feeling a bit overwhelmed.  
"Did you have fun out there, dancing with him" he rephrased his question.  
"ehm, sure, it was fine." She answered.  
"I've been trying to find a way out of here" he continued, sounding a little annoyed.  
"And?" she asked.  
"We need our wands, but apparently, they are nowhere to be found. I've been talking to a lot of people and apparently we went back in time, or something weird like that" he explained.  
"Back in time? That isn't possible" she gasped.  
"Well, apparently, it is, because, we did" he stated.  
"Okay, so what now, I need to get back home, I have a Dark Lord to vanquish." He rolled his eyes.  
"Yes, we all have things to do" he answered. "We'll figure something out" he finally said.  
"Good, cause I'm not marrying you" she continued.  
"Well, no, by the looks of it, you'll be marrying that James guy" he hissed before stalking off. Hermione raised her eyebrows in his departure. She turned back to the buffet and grabbed another drink.  
"Careful there, Hermione, wouldn't want you to drink too much" she turned around to find James standing there.  
"I can handle myself" she answered.  
"How are you finding your engagement?" he commented.  
"It's fine" she answered quickly.  
"It sounds like it's everything you dreamed about" he smirked.  
"It's none of your business, is what it is" she hissed turning and walking away. She retreated to her chambers, tearing of the dress or at least as much as she could without help. She stood laced in her corset, crying. She needed to get out of here. In this time, she was nothing more but a tool for men to get what they wanted and she would be damned to play into their plans. She was clawing at her corset, trying to get it off, but the more she tried, the more she felt trapped. It became harder to breathe, she was panicking. She shattered a vase and grabbed a shard to try and cut the laces on the corset but she wasn't succeeding any time soon.

Draco was walking back to Hermione's chambers. He needed to talk to someone who didn't talk like they were born in medieval times. And sadly for him, she was the only one. There were two guards at her door, but they would never block him from entering, he was the crownprince after all. He walked into the room finding Hermione on the floor. She was wearing nothing but her corset, which was still a dress by modern standards but somehow felt different now.  
"Hermione?" he asked. She turned to him, her cheeks wet with tears and there were streaks of blood on her face.  
"Hermione, what the hell?" he hissed and ran over to her. He grabbed her hands and saw that they were cut open and that she was holding a shard of glass in her hand.  
"What did you do?" he asked, taking the shard from her.  
"I couldn't breathe" she whispered.  
"So you decided to cut yourself open?" he asked. She shrugged. He started unlacing the corset , loosening it so it didn't cling to her body anymore.  
"Let's get you cleaned up" he helped her up and walked her to the basin of water that sat on her dresser. He grabbed a cloth and carefully washed the blood from her hands. There were several deep cuts on her palms and after cleaning the blood, he carefully wrapped them in cloth. He then slowly wiped the blood from her face.  
"We can't have you going crazy here, Granger, I need you to help me if we ever plan on getting out of here." He smiled at her.  
"I couldn't breathe" she repeated. "I felt so trapped, I'm nothing here, Malfoy, I am just a pawn in a much larger scheme of men" she sighed.  
"Granger, are you serious?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. She nodded. "You are going to be the queen of this Argon country soon, from what I hear. Your father is on his deathbed" he smirked.  
"Seriously? I feel like I should feel bad about that though." He shook his head.  
"You don't know the man, Granger, and soon, you'll be a queen and then everyone will have to bow for you, not the other way around" he touched her cheek. Hermione looked at him.  
"I don't want to wait that long, I want to get out of here" she whispered.  
"Well, we'll keep trying" he whispered. She nodded. "Thanks for helping me get out of this thing, she whispered. The corset was still hanging loosely around her frame, but her breathing was no longer constricted. He was sure she would be able to get out of it completely on her own.  
"You should go, before anyone starts asking questions." She got up.  
"I'm your fiancée, Granger, no one is going to ask questions" he smirked. "But I'll see you tomorrow." She watched him walk out the door and finally let the corset slip of her body.

I would really love to thank everyone who is following this story and I am grateful for every review! They really help me a lot!  
Thanks guys!


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm going on holiday for a couple of weeks! Roadtripping through the UK. I'm not going to be able to post any chapters during my stay, or at least not from my laptop. I'll try posting them from my phone, if this doesn't work, please be patient with me! I'll post as soon as I can!**

 **Chapter 4: Rivalry**

The next morning Hermione was told by her ladies that she was to go riding today so she dressed appropriately. She wore a black coat that reached all the way down to her feet and looked more like a dress, lined with fur and gold and underneath she wore black pants. The woman dressing her had frowned at her but Hermione had insisted she wouldn't ride horses wearing a skirt. She pulled on her thigh high boots, laced to her legs and dark gloves. Her hair was strapped in a ponytail, several strands escaping to dangle in her face. Her guards walked her down to the stables.  
"My lady, we've prepared your horse for you, it's in the courtyard with your tutor. She thanked the stablehand and walked to the courtyard. The horse was beautiful. It was black as night, his fur shining in the sunlight of the early morning. She walked over to the horse and carefully let it sniff her hand before petting it on the neck.  
"He's beautiful" she whispered to no one in particular.  
"A fine thoroughbred Spanish horse, is he not?" she heard a voice behind her. She turned around and found, once again, Lord James.  
"You're my tutor, I could've figured" she rolled her eyes.  
"careful, My lady, you're sounding a bit distressed" he smirked.  
"Well, let's just go riding." She answered and before anyone could rush to her aid she swung herself atop the horse. She dug her heels into its sides and sped off down to road, leaving James behind to stare at her in awe. Hermione had enjoyed riding for as long as she could remember, she rode before going to Hogwarts and every summer since. After a little while she slowed her gallop down to an even trot and enjoyed the landscape. It didn't take James long to catch up to her.  
"I was told you didn't know how to ride" he laughed.  
"Well, you underestimated me, clearly" she smirked. "clearly" he repeated.  
"Let's see what you can do then" he told her before speeding of. Hermione smiled and followed suit.

Draco was standing on the balcony of his chambers, looking out over the castle grounds. He saw her, riding a black horse. Her hair was moving in the wind and he was pretty sure she was smiling. There was someone with her and there was no doubt in his mind that it was that wretched James dude. His page entered the chambers and announced some lady named Lola. The girl that entered was pretty, blonde hair and bright green eyes. The page left the room and the innocent face of the girl in front of him contorted in a wicked smile. She dropped her cloak and revealed she was wearing nothing underneath.  
"Before you speak, My lord, I wasn't seen, I never am." She smiled. Draco was to baffled to speak.  
"I've missed you" she purred, her hands resting on his chest. She pressed her lips on his and started working on his belt. When he recovered from the shock he grabbed her wrists.  
"who are you?" he hissed.  
"My Lord? I'm lady Lola, we have loved eachother for months" she questioned.  
"Have we now?" he raised his eyebrows. "Well, I don't feel like loving you today, so you may leave" he commanded before turning away from her. He heard a sob before the girl rushed out of the chambers. He returned his gaze towards the grounds where two horses where still running. He smirked when he saw that she was in the lead now, jumping over obstacles as if they were nothing. It surprised him, he never thought she would be the type to ride horses, but he had a feeling that Hermione was full of surprises.

Hermione dismounted her horse in the courtyard. A stable boy was there to take the reins.  
"I want to take care of him myself." She smiled politely.  
"My lady?" Hermione had a feeling that again, this wasn't the normal way royals did anything.  
"I want to brush him myself, just get some rest, or go see your family, not to worry, no one will fault you for this." She reassured the man and it seemed to please him enough to let her go about her way. She guided the horse to its stable, reading the name on its door. _Rogue._ An odd name for a horse, but fitting none the less. She had been in the saddle for a couple of hours and felt like Rogue was a proper name for a horse like he was. She looked around the stables and saw that no one was around so she shed her coat, leaving her standing in nothing but her black corset and her black legginglike pants with her boots. She didn't want the coat to get filthy. She started by drenching the horse with water, washing of all sweat of a long ride. Afterwards, she started to brush him. She would brush until she was satisfied that he was dry enough before throwing a quilt atop him.  
"I don't know many ladies that know how to care for a horse" she turned and found James standing there once again.  
"Haven't you heard? I am no lady, I am a princess." She responded.  
"You most certainly are." He answered before grabbing a brush and joining her in her efforts to dry off the horse.  
"He is magnificent" she whispered.  
"He certainly is" he responded. "As are you, I've never seen anyone ride the way you did today." He commented. Hermione blushed.  
"Well, I'm sure you have, I'm sure all the men in this country ride better than me" she returned her gaze back to the black beast in front of her.  
"They are fine riders out there, don't get me wrong, but you ride with a certain wildness and recklessness that I haven't witnessed before." He admitted. She looked at him for a second.  
"thanks" she whispered. After a couple more minutes Hermione grabbed the deep red and gold quilt that she threw over the horse.  
"I'll come back soon, Rogue, I promise" she whispered to the horse before pressing a kiss on its nose. James stood in the doorway and Hermione pressed to get by him. He blocked her way and his form towered over her.  
"You are not at all who I thought you were" he whispered, raising his hand to push a stray of hair behind her ear.  
"I'm not?" she asked.  
"No, you aren't" his hand pressed against her cheek and he carefully pressed his lips on hers. Hermione's eyes widened in shock. His hand travelled down to her waist and he pressed her against the doorframe. His kiss grew hungrier and she slowly responded. They heard voices down the hall and he broke the kiss.  
"You are wild and reckless and you are the most magnificent creature I have ever laid eyes on" he whispered against her mouth before leaving her. Hermione stood there for a moment, her fingers resting on her lips. She had never been kissed like that before, hungrily and passionate.

She grabbed her coat and retreated to the castle, on her way to her chambers but ran straight into Draco.  
"Hermione, there you are." He smiled at her, but his smile soon turned to a frown. Hermione looked down and realized she was most certainly not wearing proper attire for a princess.  
"You look" he started.  
"Horrible, I know" she finished.  
"No, you look beautiful" he smiled.  
"But I do think, however, that the king and queen might not agree" he smirked.  
"I think you might be right about that" she smiled back.  
"Let's go back to your chambers then and get you dolled up for dinner" he offered her his arm, as is proper. She hooked her hand through it and they walked through the castle. "I saw you riding today" he started making conversation.  
"You did?" she asked.  
"Yes, I was surprised that you could ride, I didn't think you ever ventured outside libraries" he laughed.  
"There is more to me than books, you know." She stated.  
"I'm beginning to understand that" he agreed. They reached her chambers and they both entered them.  
"Let's see those options, shall we" Hermione frowned.  
"Excuse me, am I to understand you are going to choose my outfit for the evening?" she enquired. He nodded.  
"It can't be worse than anything you'd pick" he smirked. He picked out a black dress, laced and beaded with silver pearls, there was green in it as well.  
"The Slytherin colours? Seriously?" she raised her eyebrows.  
"Yes, indeed, but only, here it's merely green and silver, no one knows what Slytherin is" he handed her the dress.  
"You do know I can't put this on by myself right? She asked.  
"ah, naturally, fine, I'll help" he stated. "What?" she raised her eyebrows even higher if possible. He walked over to her and stood behind her. He started unlacing her corset carefully. "Malfoy, you do know that I can just throw on this dress over the corset, right?" she whispered. He bit his lip, something she couldn't see.  
"Right, I forgot" he reversed his work, sealing her once more in a tight corset before she pulled on the dress. He helped her get into it and helped her get her unruly hair back in her ponytail.  
"Let me look at you" he whispered, turning her around.  
"You look good enough for this dinner, so let's go, we're already late" He offered her his arm once more and they walked in silence to the dining hall.

They joined the table and the other guests sat down as well.  
"Ah, Lord James, good of you to join us" Hermione turned her head and saw James. He took a bow and took a seat next to her.  
"Hello again, My lady" he smiled at her. Hermione simply nodded as Draco eyed them from across the table. The sevants served the meal as scheduled and Hermione dug into her plate. She had to hand it to these royals, they knew something about food. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt someone grab her hand under the table. Her eyes shot to James, giving him a warning look. He squeezed her hand reassuringly, but Hermione didn't even feel slightly reassured. Her eyes went to Draco. He looked angry.  
"I was thinking of taking Hermione to our castle tomorrow." He stated.  
"But Draco, that's two day's ride at least." The queen protested.  
"I need time to get acquainted with my wife to be, and a four day trip seems like the right opportunity." He insisted. "Well, honey, leaving court for four days" the queen didn't seem happy about the idea.  
"It sounds like a fine plan to me" the king interjected.  
"take eight guards with you" he simply stated and that was the end of the conversation.  
"I'm not feeling too well, I think I will retreat to my chambers for the night. I apologize." Hermione got up from the table.  
"I'll escort you" James immediately stood too.  
"I don't think that will be necessary, I'll escort my fiancée" Draco snapped. He was at Hermione's side in seconds, wrapping his arm around her waist and walking her out of the room.  
"What was that all about?" she hissed.  
"I'm not feeling that James guy" he shot back.  
"He was just going to walk me back to our chambers." She retorted.  
"I don't like the way he acts around you, you're my fiancée, it just isn't appropriate." He sounded mad.  
"Malfoy, I'm not your fiancée, I'm Hermione Granger, Mudblood and Harry Potter's best friend." She looked surprised. His arm put a little more pressure on her waist.  
"In this timezone you are" he whispered before dropping her of in front of her bedroom.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The next morning Hermione dressed for a long journey. She wore a woolen coat, white with gold and underneath the had a light blue dress. Her hair was loose and her maid had helped her pack. The trunk which held her stuff was huge and it seemed like she packed for months.  
"Are you ready, my darling" Draco greeted her at the gates.  
"yes, all packed and ready" she smiled.  
"Lady Hermione, do you have a second?" James was there again, like he always was.  
"Yes, only a minute though" she answered. He pulled her to the side.  
"I wanted to give you this." He pressed a dagger in her hands, it was beautiful and embellished with rubies.  
"What? Why?" she quickly hid it in her coat.  
"I want you to be safe and there are rumours about our prince" he whispered.  
"He would never hurt me" she stated.  
"I just want you to be safe, and I'll be here when you return." He whispered, his hand brushing across her cheek. He retreated and she joined Draco. He reached his hand out to her and she took it, he helped her get in the carriage and joined her straight after. He ordered the driver to leave and the carriage shook into motion.  
"So where are we going again?" she asked him. He sat opposite her.  
"one of our smaller castles a couple villages over, my advisor spoke to me about it and t sounded a little more secluded than court so I figured it would be great to just spend some time there" he explained.  
"Maybe we'll find a way to get back home" she whispered.  
"Yeah maybe" he didn't tell her that he wasn't sure they would ever be able to get back to their real lives. Ever since the day he was born, he had been able to do some magic. Even as a young child, he could do some things, like shoot tiny sparks from his fingertips. But that had all stopped the day they ended up here, he hadn't done anything magical since. It bugged him to no end, but eventually, he just accepted his faith and decided to move on with this life as best he could. After a couple of minutes Hermione dozed off and he took a moment to just look at her. After an exhausting day's ride, they ended up in an inn. The innkeepers went on and on about how honored they were to accommodate their future king and queen. Hermione was still dozing in the carriage so Draco just picked her up, and carried her to his room in his arms, despite the constant bickering of his guards that it wasn't proper. He laid her down on the bed and took of her dress, leaving her in her corset. He figured she would kill him if he were to take that off too, so he just tucked her in like that. After doing that, he got ready to sleep himself and crawled into bed next to her. It didn't take him long to drift off to his dreamworld.

Hermione felt the sun on her face as morning came. She didn't want to get up because she was super comfortable, but she expected her ladythingperson would soon be there to dress her again. It was a tedious routine and Hermione didn't much care for getting dressed by others. She mumbled a little and moved to get a better sleeping position. Just a minute longer. Her movement caused someone else to tighten his grip on her and her back was pressed against another body. Hermione's eyes grew big. Who the hell was in her bed. She turned around and looked in the face of a sleeping Draco.  
"Malfoy?" she hissed.  
"Just a couple more minutes, hush" he whispered. Hermione rolled her eyes. She contemplated getting up but he was warm and snuggly, so she turned back around and let it be. Well, she tried at least, until she felt something poking her lower back. She jumped up out of the bed.  
"Malfoy! What the hell!" she shrieked at him.  
"Granger, lower your volume" he hissed.  
"I won't lower my volume! What the hell are you doing" she pointed at his crotch.  
"It's the morning, Granger, don't take it personally" he smirked.  
"Well, keep your morning issues away from me" she shouted.  
"Sure, my love" he smiled, adding some extra sarcasm to the sentence. Hermione grunted and threw her hands up.  
"Where are we anyways?" she asked him, looking out the window.  
"We're at an inn, about halfway through the journey. I suspect we'll be departing soon and we'll arrive at the castle around noon." He explained.  
"Well, okay then ,I guess I'll get dressed" she finally answered, rummaging through her trunk.  
"Good luck with that, we didn't bring your maid, remember?" he smirked.  
"Urgh, I've been dressing myself my entire life, I'll manage." She hissed. Draco left the room when he dressed himself, luckily for him it was easy. He just had to throw on a shirt, some pants and a cloak of some sort and he was done. Hermione on the other hand would struggle a lot more.

When she finally emerged from the inn, Hermione was sure there would be plenty of people gossiping about her choice of outfit. She was wearing black pants, laces up at the sides and knee high brown boots. She had thrown some shirt of Malfoy on and had her corset laced at the front. She did, however, have an expensive looking fur coat over her shoulders, so that should do the trick into making her look royal enough.  
"Is that my shirt?" Draco smirked as he took her hand and guided her into the carriage.  
"Shut up, Malfoy" she hissed under her breath.  
"I'm kidding, you look better in it than I would." He stated. Hermione looked at him, one eyebrow raised. Was that a compliment?  
"Thanks, it was the best I could do on my own" she whispered. They spent the next hour in total silence while riding to their destination.  
"What if we can't get back?" she suddenly asked.  
"What?" he felt like she had been having an argument in her head and he only just now got involved.  
"What if we never get out of this freaky timezone?" she asked again.  
"Oh, yeah, that" he whispered.  
"Seriously, Draco, what if we never get back" she insisted.  
"Well, then I guess we'll get married" he continued.  
"Malfoy, don't mock me" she hissed. "I'm not, that's what would happen when we didn't get out of here. We would get married and reign this country and yours and eventually we would have our heirs take over" he continued.  
"Our heirs?!" Hermione yelled at him.  
"Keep your voice down, do you want all our guards to know you are a lunatic" he smiled.  
"Heirs, Malfoy? Do you even hear yourself?" she whispered aggressively.  
"That's just the way it is with royals, Granger, I'm just repeating what my medieval mother has been telling me ever since we got here." He averted his gaze to the landscape passing them by.  
"I will not be producing any heirs for you, Malfoy" she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting.  
"Whatever you say, Hermione" he finished the conversation. After another half hour she broke the silence.  
"When are we arriving, I'm so sick of this carriage" she complained. Draco opened the carriage window and quickly asked his driver how long they would still have to be on the way.  
"It's just up ahead, about ten minutes or so" he answered her question.  
"Good, then I'll be able to stretch my legs" she smiled. He was amazed how easy it was to make her smile. She certainly seemed to enjoy the little things, more than he ever had. Maybe he should take a page out of her book on that matter, it definitely seemed the happier solution.  
"We'll take a tour of the grounds when we arrive" he told her and she nodded.  
"I think I'd like that" she whispered.  
Ten minutes later they arrived at the small chateau. It was definitely a lot smaller than the one they were currently residing in, but it was beautiful none the less.  
"Wow Draco, it's amazing" she gazed at it in awe.  
"Yes it definitely is." He answered.  
"I could live here" she said. Draco looked at the girl he had been travelling with, she didn't look like the mudblood he had met in first year. She had changed a lot over the years, grown, just like he had of course. He dismissed the guards and told them to just partrol a little. His footman he ordered to get the quarters prepared and a meal fixed.  
"Let's take the tour then?" he asked. Hermione nodded and they wandered off to the garden which was decorated with colourful flowers.  
"Oh look, there's a little farm up ahead" she pointed at a small building a little further.  
"That's part of the estate, Granger, some of the servants that mind the grounds live there, I believe" He made a mental note that she clearly didn't know anything about nobility, he knew a little from his studies, but she didn't know anything.  
"Oh,so that's still part of the grounds?" she asked and he simply nodded in response.  
"Wow, this really isn't as small as I imagined it to be" she smiled.  
"How long are we staying here again?" she asked. "Just one or two days, or longer, if you'd like" he looked at her.  
"I think I'd like to stay longer, I could get used to this" she said as she gestured to the view.  
"Yeah, me too" he whispered, she would never know that he wasn't looking at the view.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

After their tour of the grounds, they had some dinner and Hermione decided she wanted to take a bath so she did just that. Draco decided to have something to drink while looking over the documents his advisors had given him. One of the documents was about Hermione's heritage. She was the only daughter of King Henry II of Argon, the old king had no other living relatives as Hermione's mother passed in childbirth. After the kings passing, which according to the documents would be pretty soon since he had a fable health, Hermione would inherit the crown of her country. And after their marriage, and after Draco's new father's funeral, they would reign both countries together. He could see himself being a king. King Draco, that sounded pretty good. And with his queen, he would be the head of two countries. And maybe eventually, they could conquer some other country. It sounded a whole lot more possible than his survival at home, with Voldemort gaining power.  
"What are you up to?" Hermione walked into the room.  
"Nothing much, just looking over some documents my advisors gave me" he answered.  
"Oh, anything interesting?" she asked.  
"No" he lied. "How about you, how was your bath?"  
She smiled. "It was amazing." She sat down next to him in front of the fireplace, combing her fingers through her hair. She wasn't wearing an elaborate dress, just something that looked like a nightgown. He looked at her, she looked so effortlessly beautiful.  
"So we're really all by ourselves here?" she asked?  
"Well, not really, there's all kinds of guards and servants here, but no other nobles to pester us" he answered.  
"I guess that's as close to being alone we'll ever get out here." She sighed. He just nodded. She wrapped her hands together and pressed her eyes shut. As she opened them, she looked at the place between her palms.  
"Nothing" she sounded very disappointed.  
"Yeah, I know, me neither" he whispered.  
"We're never getting out of here, are we?" she looked at him, her eves betraying her sadness. He grabbed her hand.  
"Would it really be so terrible if we didn't?" he asked, pressing her hand in between his. "I mean, we're safe here, something we wouldn't be at Hogwarts, not any more at least" he whispered.  
"We're certainly safer here" she answered. "But Harry, and Ron? And what about our families?"  
He shook his head. "I don't know, Hermione, I don't know how this works." He answered. "But really, would it honestly be so terrible to stay here, with me and just live the rest of our lives?" he asked again, his face mere inches from hers. His breath rustled her curls. Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but found herself at a loss for words. He brought his other hand to the side of her face and pressed it against her cheek. She closed her eyes and felt his lips graze over hers, barely, like a gush of air. Their noses rubbing together softly.  
"Lady Hermione!" someone came bursting through the door and Hermione and Draco backed away from eachother, but he kept a tight hold on her hand.  
"James? What are you doing here?" she asked, her eyebrows raised.  
"I've been riding since this morning, you're urgently needed at court" he crossed the distance towards her.  
"Why?" she enquired. "Your father passed away last night." He laid his hand on her shoulder. Draco scowled and held her hand just that little bit tighter.  
"What?"Hermione didn't know what the appropriate reaction was.  
"You're now the queen of Argon" he stated, bending his knee and bowing to her. Hermione looked at Draco.  
"I need to go back, right?" she asked him, he nodded.  
"Yeah, you'll have to go to Argon, too, for the coronation and stuff"" he squeezed her hand once more.  
"You'll come with?" she asked. Draco couldn't help but notice the subtle change in James's face.  
"Of course I will" he answered. "I'll tell the guards to prepare the carriage." Now it was her turn to nod.  
"I'll go change" she whispered.  
"You'll be much faster on horseback, and then Prince Draco could follow and arrive a couple days later." James spoke to her and ignored Draco completely.  
"I suppose that's true" she whispered. "I'll prepare myself and you prepare one of the horses in the stable for me?" she asked him. He nodded and sped off.  
"It's dangerous out there on horseback." Draco turned towards Hermione.  
"I know, but I have to get back, it will look bad if I don't make this a priority" He knew she was right.  
"Promise me to be careful and I'll be right behind you" he brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.  
"I promise" she whispered before letting of his hand. Neither of them noticed the small white spark that appeared as their hands separated.

It didn't take Hermione long to change back into the clothes from the previous day. However riské they were, they sure were a lot handier to ride in. In the meantime James had prepared her horse for her and was waiting in front of the castle. Draco was waiting alongside him. When Hermione exited, both boys' eyes grew big.  
"Let's go" she stated. Draco helped her get on her horse while James got on his own horse.  
"I'll see you soon" he whispered. She nodded and dug her heels into the horse's sides, speeding off down the dirt road, leaving Draco Malfoy behind. James smirked at Draco before doing the exact same thing. Draco turned around towards his drivers.  
"Is the carriage ready? I'd like to leave immediately" he tried to not sound as annoyed.  
"Yes, my Lord, it's ready" the driver bowed.  
"We'll leave right now" Draco opened the carriage door and crawled in. He didn't want to leave her alone with that smug bastard one minute more than necessary. He was up to something, and Draco needed to know what it was. He made a mental note to ask his advisors to find out all they could about this James person. There was something fishy going on and he didn't want Hermione to be part of it.

"How long until we reach the castle?" she asked James.  
"A couple of hours, I believe, but we'll need to water the horses soon, and let them rest for a minute" he answered.  
"Fine, then let's do that and be on our way as soon as possible." He nodded.  
"I know a little lake, not far from here, we can let the horses rest there while we eat something." He took the lead and Hermione followed suit. It didn't take more than a couple of minutes to reach the lake James told her about. It was small and secluded in a forrest and it was perfect. Hermione dismounted her horse and let the animal roam a little bit before she herself knelt down on the edge of the lake. She splashed some water in her face and wet her neck as well, slowly stretching her sore muscles.  
"Here, I brought you some food" he handed her some bread.  
"Thanks" she whispered before sitting down and eating.  
"I'm sorry about your father" James sat down next to her. "thanks" she repeated.  
"I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel, but I think overwhelmed describes it perfectly" she sighed.  
"I can imagine that, and as soon as we get back, the pressure is only going to rise" he told her.  
"How so?" she looked at him. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it.  
"You're going to have to get married soon, as no queen can reign by herself" he explained.  
"Well, there's no surprise there, I'm already engaged." She smiled.  
"But you'll have to figure out where the best alliance lies" he answered.  
"But what if I want to get married for love?" he shook his head and carefully grabbed her face in his hands.  
"Love isn't a luxury queens can afford" he whispered.  
"You're wrong, queens can afford what ever it is they want" she hissed before standing up. She walked over to her horse and carefully patted it on the neck.  
"Men are dicks" she whispered to it. The horse raised its head and pressed it nose against her cheek.  
"I'm sorry if I offended you, Hermione, that was not my intent" James grabbed her shoulder and turned her around.  
"I try so hard to keep my distance from you, but you re like the sun and I can't live without your light." He whispered, his lips dangling over hers. Hermione looked up at him, at his bright blue eyes and suddenly she remembered their kiss.  
"I really want to kiss you again" his breath touched her cheeks as he spoke.  
"I don't think it's appropriate for queens to be kissing just anyone" she hissed before ducking from under his grip. "And I do believe it's time for us to get moving" she mounted her horse and waited for James to do the same, his face contorted in anger.  
 _Seriously though, what is he thinking? I'm engaged to be married._ When riding in silence, they didn't have to ride long to reach the castle. Hermione walked into the throne room where the king and queen were waiting for her.  
"Queen Hermione" the king greeted her, a wide smile gracing his face.  
"I am so sorry for your loss" he added, standing up to grab her hand and press a kiss on it. Hermione took a bow.  
"Thank you, your majesty. I will need to return to my homeland for a couple of days." She told him.  
"Yes, of course, and when you get back, we will have the wedding as soon as possible." The king told her. Hermione nodded, it was inevitable.  
"I will arrange an escort for you to your country, Lord James has already volunteered." She turned to look at him, he was standing behind her, smiling.  
"Your Grace, your son has also volunteered to take me, and as he is my fiancée and this will soon be his country too, I thought it would be a good idea to venture there together." She took another bow.  
"What? You can't take my son into dangerous territory!" the queen hissed. The king held up his hand to silence her.  
"I will talk to Draco about this when he returns" he simply answered.  
"Now, I believe you must be tired from your trip, why don't you go and rest." The king ordered.  
"I would love to meet with my advisors first, after all, I'm a queen now" she raised her chin and looked at the king, after all, they were equals now. "Very well" he frowned and Hermione nodded her head before walking out of the throne room.

She met with her advisors in her private chambers. They all bowed and vowed loyalty to her crown before speaking.  
"I want to talk about what's best for Argon." She told them.  
"I know that I will have to marry to secure my reign." They nodded and one spoke.  
"Yes, your grace, but if we may, the match with the crown prince of England might not be the best option." Hermione frowned.  
"How do you mean?" she asked them.  
"Well, with the king's passing, we fear uprisings in Argon and we don't have the military support to suppress all if any of the uprisings. We need a match that ensures us military support." Hermione interjected.  
"Surely England has armies?" she asked.  
"Yes, your grace, but Englands armies are tied up at Calais and at the French border. You know the English king wants France. He won't bother helping Argon." Hermione placed her hands on the map on the table, bowing her head. Her loose curls brushed the miniature armies from their designated spots.  
"There are other suitors" the advisor continued.  
"What?" Hermione looked up at him from across the table.  
"There are other suitors that have presented their case for marrying you" he repeated.  
"But I'm engaged." She frowned.  
"An engagement is but a contract, a contract that can still be broken. We want to talk to you about these other men" he grabbed some papers.  
"The best match, the match that could ensure your rule is the one with Lord James." He continued.  
"James? As in, the guy I rode into court with mere hours ago?" she asked.  
"Yes. He is the bastard son of the king of Spain. Spain is in dire need of a new alliance and they are at war with England. They would love to have your country as an ally. As you know, they also have the best naval fleet in all of Europe and their armies are unparalleled." He continued.  
"James expressed his interest in you after you went riding with him, he promised us armies and protection." Hermione shook her head.  
"I will need to think on this" she told them. They all nodded and left the room. Hermione stretched her neck and threw her head back. She never wanted to marry Draco, but now she didn't want to be engaged to any other.  
"You better get here soon, Malfoy" she hissed as she stood by the window overlooking the courtyard.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note: Hi there! So I've returned from Wales, it was beautiful and lovely and I came back with lots of inspiration for the next couple of chapters for this story! I hope you guys like this one! Please review, I would love to hear your thoughts on everything! ENJOY!**

 **C** **hapter 7**

Draco saw the castle from a distance, finally. He had been riding since he left, not even stopping to spend the night. He felt the exhaustion in every part of his body, his bones were aching for some rest. But he knew that eventually, Hermione would have to leave court and that if he wasn't there, she would leave without him. If he wasn't with her, there was no way they could get back to their own time and that was the only reason he was so eager to get back, or that's what he kept telling himself. As they reached the courtyard, he jumped out of the still moving carriage. He ran into the castle and to the throne room. "Ah Draco, you've returned" his father smirked.  
"My darling, you look exhausted!" his mother shrieked.  
"I'm fine, mother, I'll need to be speaking to Hermione, where can I find her?" he asked.  
"I heard she was still in her chambers, hasn't left them since arriving here." The king explained. Draco nodded his head and turned around to walk away.  
"Oh and Draco?" he heard his father's call and he turned his head towards him.  
"We do hope your courtingskills will prove sufficient, as I want you to marry that queen soon. And you know how I get when I'm disappointed" he warned. Draco's jaw tensed and he walked away. He retreated to Hermione's chambers, as fast as he could. He knocked on the door, and she opened it reluctantly.  
"Draco!" she gasped, throwing her arms around his neck. His eyes grew big before he wrapped his arms around her waist protectively. As she let him go, they walked into her room and he closed the door behind them.  
"I'm so glad you're back" she whispered. He grabbed both her hands.  
"Tell me what's been going on" he answered, his thumb slowly running over her hand.  
"Well, I'm going back to my country for the funeral and the coronation. I asked the king to send you along and he agreed." He smiled at that piece of information.  
"But James is also coming." She whispered, barely audible.  
"You asked him to join us?" he let go of her and raised his voice.  
"What? No I didn't! He asked the king and got permission" Malfoy nodded, it figured that he would do that.  
"Draco, there is more" she sat down on her bed.  
"What else?" he asked, looking at her. He was already fuming, so maybe he shouldn't ask for more information.  
"My advisors don't want me to marry you, they want me to marry James." She looked at her hands.  
"WHAT?! They want you to marry that piece of filth? He's not even a prince, Hermione!" Draco yelled.  
"No, but he has armies, Draco! Armies that we need to protect my country, armies that your father won't or can't spare for me!" She stood up and yelled at him.  
"Do you want to marry that tool? Is that it! Is that what you really want?! Because if it is, Granger," she interrupted him before he could finish that sentence.  
"No! No, that's not what I want" she yelled. He stopped and stared at her, they were both panting. She was standing there, wearing a tight black dress, her chest rising and falling with each breath she took. He couldn't help himself and strode over to her. He didn't touch her, but his face was inches away from hers.  
"Then what is it you want?" he asked, his breath rushing over her face. She looked up at him and he could see the fire in her eyes. A fire he knew she always had, for as long as he could remember. It was part of what made her so goddamned annoying, but it was also part of what made her so alluring.  
"What do you want, Hermione?" he asked again. His nose was almost touching hers and she looked up at him.  
"What . Do. You. Want" he breathed again, emphasizing every word. She bit her lip and carefully raised her hand to his hair. She grabbed a platinum lock of hair and twirled it in her fingers.  
"Hermione" he grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him again.  
"Tell me" he whispered. She opened her mouth to give him an answer but at that moment a knock on the door filled the room. They quickly stepped away from each other once more, awkwardly looking away from each other. The door opened and James walked in.  
"Hermione, the king informed me that we are to leave for Argon soon, tonight as a matter of fact." Hermione nodded.  
"Thank you, James, I'll prepare for our departure" she answered. James took a bow and took his leave, not before sending Draco the most evil of looks.

Hermione watched as Draco left her room without saying anything else. He had mumbled something about packing his stuff and then he had turned to leave. Men. She started to pack her own things. Her ladies had already sorted out some outfits for her to take back to Argon, but Hermione added some of her own outfits to the mix. It wasn't usually her responsibility to pack, but she had insisted. She hated being catered to. The ride to Argon would be long and taxing, not to mention the fact that Draco and James would both be there. This was going to be torture. When all her things were packed, Hermione went to the courtyard. Several servants were loading the carriage.  
"My luggage is in my room, but I have another request." She asked. They bowed and waited for her to make her request.  
"I would like Rogue prepared for me, I'd like to do some riding along the way." The servants nodded and sped off to the stables.  
"What's this I hear, you're going to ride part of the journey?" she turned and smiled as she found Draco there, looking dashing in his burgundy velvet robes.  
"Yeah, it's the perfect opportunity" he held his hands behind his back.  
"Well, I'll enjoy watching you" he smirked. "As will I" James turned up next to Draco.  
"We both know that you are magnificent" he smiled. Hermione looked at her shoes as the two men glared at each other. Luckily for her, it didn't take long for the servants to return with Rogue. Hermione took the reins and patted the horse on its neck, its nose was pressed against her neck, softly nibbling.  
"Hey boy" she whispered, smiling softly. She grabbed the saddle and just as she wanted to pull herself up, she felt someone's hands on her waist.  
"Let me help you, my lady" he whispered sweetly in her ear. James. He was everywhere, reminding Hermione of the kiss they shared, the kiss that Draco knew nothing about. A weapon that he could use against her. He lifted her, and Hermione swung her leg over the saddle.  
"Thank you, James" she said. His hand rested on her thigh, and he squeezed it softly.  
"I'll always be here when you need me" his voice was sickly sweet. Hermione looked at Draco, he was standing there, clenched fists. She could see that it took everything he had to not attack James right then and there. James turned and walked towards his own horse and Draco took his place in the carriage. They took off down the road and Hermione positioned her horse next to the carriage. .


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Hermione had spent the first couple of hours of the journey on horseback, annoying the guards to no end. They would chase after her as she sped off down the road, leaving the escort. Draco had enjoyed watching her. After a while, she felt tired and tied her horse to the carriage before taking her seat next to Draco. She fell asleep soon after, her head resting on his shoulder. He had his hand around her shoulder, carefully playing with her curls. She smelled of vanilla and lilac flowers, a scent he had grown addicted to in the past couple of days. James had passed by the window of their carriage a couple of times, looking more murderous every time and Draco was loving it. He couldn't remember the last time he was involved in such a fight over a girl. He had never felt the need to fight over Pansy as she clung to his every breath. But with Hermione, it was different. She felt like sand, if he tried to hold on too tight, she'd slip away, but the same would happen if he didn't close his hands enough. It was a balancing act that he didn't fully understand yet. She wasn't predicable, she was reckless and spontaneous and he found that troubling as well as alluring. They hit a bump in the road and Hermione was jolted from her sleep.  
"Where are we?" she gasped.  
"In a carriage, on the way to Argon, remember?" he asked, one eyebrow raised as he looked at her.  
"Right, I forgot" she smiled at him.  
"I was having a wonderful dream" she whispered. "What about?" he asked her.  
"I'll tell you some other time" he frowned at her.  
"How long until we arrive?" she asked. He smiled.  
"How would I know? I've never been to your country and I am not from this time, remember?" she shook her head.  
"Right, I keep forgetting" she whispered. She crawled away from him and hung her head out of the carriage.  
"How long before we arrive?" she yelled at the driver.  
"Uhm, just a couple more hours, my lady" the driver reluctantly yelled back. Hermione sat back down and sighed.

The rest of the journey was rather uneventful. James kept his distance, which made Draco mistrust him even more. They arrived at the court of Argon two days later. Hermione was greeted like the queen she was, the entire castle was in an uproar.  
"Your Grace, I am lord McCarthy, I was your father's right hand. It would be my honour to serve you as well." The silver haired man bowed, Draco guessed he would be around 50 years of age, which made him ancient in this time. Hermione politely thanked him and told him that she would talk with him after her father's funeral. The funeral would be tomorrow and Hermione would have to play a big role in it, as she was now queen. Her coronation would be one day later. Hermione had told Draco that she would retire to her chambers and spend the rest of the day preparing, which he thought was a good idea. He decided to spend his time getting to know this country he would soon rule by her side. It didn't take him long to figure out it was rather different from England. It felt rougher, wilder and almost untamed. There were even more men than there were in England, and they adored their queen. He could see it on their faces whenever she walked by them, or when they spoke of her. It wasn't like she was some unknown royal that just happened to be born into the right family. They really loved and admired her, and she would fit in great in this country. She would be their ideal queen and he knew it. The only question was if he was going to be the right kind of king for this country.

Hermione was appropriately dressed in black, after all, she was supposed to be in mourning. But that didn't mean that she would wear a black burlap sack either. She had chosen a black dress with a chiffon collar that reached up to her chin. The bodice of the dress hugged her every curve, right up to her hips, where it flared down into a big skirt. Her hair was tied up in a tight bun, her crown sat on top of the bun. It wasn't the actual crown yet, she'd get that one at the coronation.  
"It's time, your liege" a man told her. She nodded and followed him down. He led her to the courtyard, where her father's coffin was waiting to be transported to the church where his funeral would be held and where he would be put in his tomb, along his other blood relatives and her mother. Draco was waiting for her, also wearing black, his robes were lined with silver. He smiled at her and reached his hand out to her, she gladly took it.  
"Are you alright?" he whispered. She nodded softly.  
"It's weird, burying someone I'm supposed to love, but I don't feel anything" he knew how that felt. He buried his father the summer after fifth year and he had felt as empty as she was right now. They got into the first carriage that followed the coffin, it was a short drive, about two minutes but it was custom for the company to follow in carriages. The church was beautiful, and the interior was even more magnificent. The sun was out and the stained glass windows cast rainbows on the floors and the ceilings. Hermione took her place at the front of the church, Draco sat down next to her, holding her hand in his. Their quiet moment was interrupted by James as he sat down one row behind them. He put his hand on Hermione's shoulder and leaned in to whisper in her ear.  
"I'm so sorry for your loss, Hermione" he squeezed her shoulder lightly.  
"Thank you" she answered, Draco glared at James.  
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to remember our King" the pries started.

The mass was long and tedious and Hermione was exhausted by the time it was over. The body of her father would now be embalmed before being placed in the family tomb. After the funeral, there was some sort of feast, Hermione didn't stay long. She just ate something and talked to the appropriate nobles before retreating to her chambers. No one seemed to mind as they thought it was because she was wrecked with guilt. Her maids helped her out of her dress and she slipped on a nightgown. It was silky and white and flowed to the floor like water. When all her maids left the room and she was alone again, she took of her crown and undid her hair. Her unruly curls cascaded down her back, almost down to her lower back. They had grown long and she had stopped cutting it. It made them easier to tame. She put the crown on her vanity table and looked at it. Soon, she would wear an even bigger crown, granted, she wouldn't really have to wear it every day, just for the occasional event or royal meetings. As of tomorrow, she would officially be a queen. It felt odd, weird. In their world, back home, she was a normal wizard, part of Harry Potter's entourage, and mudblood. That is if you asked Draco Malfoy. But here, here she was royal, she ruled a country. She had armies at her disposal and could change the course of history with a single word. She had to admit that it felt good too. It felt good to be someone important in this story. She had to give in to the fact that it would indeed not be so bad if they were stuck here forever. She had just crawled into the sheets when her guard came in.  
"My Lady, the castle is under attack, we have to get you somewhere safe!" Hermione got up and looked at the man.  
"What?" she asked, stupefied.  
"There are intruders in the castle, usurpers that oppose your rule. I need to take you somewhere safe as soon as possible" he repeated. She threw on a white woolen blanket and followed the guard into the hallway.  
"Where are we going?" she asked, as he led her down to the cellars of the castle.  
"There is an underground passage to a nearby stable, we can get a carriage from there." He had his hand on her lower back and was carefully pushing her forward.  
"Where is Draco?" she asked.  
"He is busy fighting" he answered.  
"What?! We have to go help him!" she yelled, turning around. The guard grabbed her arm.  
"Let go of me, I have to go back for him!" she tried to yank her arm out of his grasp.  
"You're coming with me" he hissed, tugging her forward. Hermione struggled against his grasp, screaming at the top of her lungs.  
"We're in an abandoned part of the cellar, no one's going to hear you" he smiled.  
"Who the hell are you and where are you taking me" she yelled.  
"It doesn't matter who I am, what matters is that we don't want that English pawn rule our country." Hermione looked at him.  
"This is about Draco?" she whispered.  
"We want you to marry someone from Argon, so that's what we're going to do." He smiled again.  
"Draco will find me, and I'm not marrying anyone." She stated.  
"Your little fiancée is long dead by now" the most evil smile crept over his face. "no" she gasped. The so called guard tugged her forward down a long dark corridor. At the end of the corridor, she was ushered into a carriage and they drove off. They had tied her hands before throwing her in and Hermione was contemplating what could be her best chance to escape.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Draco had also retreated to his chambers and was just preparing for bed. He had taken of his jacket and was standing in his white shirt and black trousers when someone came bursting in. He had a guards uniform on and his sword was unsheathed.  
"What's going on?" Draco asked, his hand resting on his own sword that hung from a belt on his hip.  
"We're under attack" the guard said.  
"What?" he hissed. He rushed to the window and saw several men fighting in the courtyard.  
"There here for Hermione" the guard explained.  
"We have to go get her!" Draco yelled, unsheathing his sword. The guard nodded and they both ran down the hall. When they reached Hermione's chambers, Draco saw that the door was ajar. He threw it open and rushed in.  
"Hermione?" he looked around the room to find it empty. He felt his chest tightening as his heart started to beat faster.  
"She's not here" he hissed. He grabbed her crown, which rested on her vanity table.  
"Maybe she got away." The guard encouraged.  
"She wouldn't just leave without me" he answered.  
"She's a queen, she would" the guard argued.  
"You don't know her, she's not like that. She doesn't leave anyone behind" he whispered. Suddenly, another guard appeared.  
"Your liege, they are retreating, the threat has been evaded. None of the guests got hurt and we suffered minor casualties" the guard explained.  
"The queen is missing, I want this entire castle searched!" he ordered. The guards nodded and every able men from the queens guard started searching every crevice of the castle. It took an hour, no more, no less. Draco sat in her room, waiting. He pressed his nose in her dress and inhaled her scent.  
"Please, let them find her" he whispered, closing his eyes.  
"My Lord, she's not in the castle." A guard had entered her room.  
"What? How did they get out?" he asked.  
"I don't know" the guard admitted.  
"Interrogate all the servants, if there is another way out of the castle, they'll know about it." he ordered. The guard nodded and walked away. Draco got up and started to pace in the room.  
"If I were taking someone, where would I go?" he rubbed his temples.  
"I can't use any of the regular ways to the outside, I'd have to find another route." He tried to think as her assailants would have. They would have taken her downstairs, to the cellars. The Malfoy Manor had an secret passageway in the cellar, to escape should enemies come knocking. It was worth a shot.

Hermione was lying in a dark room, her hands were still bound. Her wrists were bleeding from struggling against her restraints. She heard footsteps and someone came to the door. She pulled herself into a standing position. A man entered the room. He looked about thirty years of age. He had brown hair and green eyes and a scar ran from his cheek to the bottom of his face.  
"Your majesty" he bowed to her. Hermione was slightly taken aback by this polite gesture.  
"This is no way to treat your queen" she straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin.  
"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, my lady, but it is necessary." He stated.  
"Who are you?" she asked.  
"I'm lord Davenport." He explained.  
"I don't know you, why are you doing this?" she asked.  
"We're doing it for our country, we're doing it for you." He told her.  
"What? You can't expect me to believe that you're doing any of this for me or our country! You kidnapped your queen and bound her before throwing her in a cell!" she yelled.  
"We're sorry, my lady, but there was simply no other way." Hermione shook her head.  
"Please, do explain" she hissed.  
"We are loyal to you, your grace, and to the country of Argon. That's why the independence of our country is important. We don't want that English pawn prince Draco to ascend the throne. His father will take what is yours through him, they will take our country and they will force us to submit to their laws." He told her.  
"What? I won't let them take anything from me!" she yelled.  
"My queen, I'm sorry, but you wouldn't have a choice. According to the English laws, a queen cannot rule a country." He continued.  
"Well, that doesn't matter, I'm not English" she tried.  
"But you would agree with their laws as you married, it's part of the contract." Hermione shook her head and laughed.  
"That's ridiculous!" she yelled. "Just let me go, let me go and I won't marry anyone" she tried to convince them.  
"You need to marry to produce heirs for our country, we want you to marry someone who has its best interests at heart." He continued.  
"And that would be me, Queen Hermione. The people of Argon want you to marry me, Lord Davenport. Without me, there would be uprisings." He smirked. It was at that moment that Hermione realized there would be no reasoning with this man. He was cruel and vile and only looking out for himself.  
"I'll never marry you" she hissed. He stepped into her personal space and his hand touched her cheek.  
"You won't have a choice" he whispered in her ear. Hermione shivered.  
"We'll talk about getting you back to court as soon as I have conformation that your fiancée is dead." He said matter of factly before walking out and shutting the door on her once more. Hermione felt a tear run down her cheek. He couldn't be dead, could he? Surely her guards would have protected him, or at least his guards would. And surely the entire country wasn't supporting this vile man.  
"I'll get out of here! You hear me! I'll get out of here and I'll kill every last one of you" she screamed at the door.

Draco was examining the cellar as he heard footsteps behind him. He turned, half expecting Hermione to enter and tell him that all of it was a sick joke. None of it was further from the truth.  
"What are you doing here?" he hissed as his sworn enemy walked up to him.  
"The same as you, I suppose. There is a passage somewhere in this cellar which takes us out of the castle." James explained. Draco smirked , he had been right.  
"Well, let's get to finding it, so that we're at least one step closer to finding Hermione" he told him and both boys started patting the walls and checking cupboards. Malfoy was fondling a large oak structure when James yelled out to him.  
"Over here" Draco rushed to James' side and looked into the empty hallway that the removal of a cupboard had revealed.  
"there are footprints on the floor" Draco noticed.  
"They would definitely have came this way" James commented. Draco nodded. He grabbed a torch from the walls of the cellar and walked forward.  
"Let's go" he announced.  
"We're not going to get the guards?" James asked.  
"Hermione might not have time" he simply stated before running down the hallway. He heard James' footsteps behind him. His heart was racing and his palms were sweaty. He needed to find her and quick.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for the follows guys! Chester99: I agree with you, it doesn't seem like something the brightest witch of her age would do. But in her defense, she is also very trusting of the people trying to help her, so I figured that she would trust the castle guard. But it was rather foolish of her :)**

 **Chapter 10**

It didn't take too long before they reached the end of the passageway. Its exit opened into an abandoned stable not that far from the castle grounds.  
"They're not here" James spoke.  
"Of course they aren't here. What do you think they are, stupid?" he hissed. Draco looked around the room and found nothing amiss. He exited the room and started looking at the ground, if he was right about this, there would be tracks.  
"Ah here! Look, a carriage left from here, we can track it. " he sounded almost happy.  
"We'll need horses for that." James commented. As much as Draco wanted to take off running, he knew James was right. They ran back to the castle and prepared two horses. Draco saddled Rogue, he had seen Hermione riding him and he was fast. James just prepared his own horse, a white stallion named Seawind, a ridiculous name for a horse, almost as ridiculous as its owner. It didn't take the boys long before they were galloping towards Hermione, or so they hoped.

Meanwhile Hermione was still sitting pretty in her little cell. Her wrists were raw and her body was aching. She heard another pair of footsteps approach her door. As the door opened she saw that damned Lord Davenport again. He walked over to her and grabbed her hands, yanking her forward.  
"You can come up now, we'll get you cleaned up" he said as he tugged her up the stairs. Hermione wanted to yell at him that he was hurting her, but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction. He brought her to a big bedroom, probably his. She most certainly was still inside a castle, it was smaller than court, but still large. He sat her down on a bench in front of the fire and turned to close the door. He sat down next to her and Hermione was glaring at him. He grabbed a knife. Hermione crawled back on the bench, trying to get as far from him as humanly possible.  
"Don't be ridiculous, my queen, I'm not going to hurt you" he smiled, grabbing her hands and yanking her back towards him. He placed his blade against her wrist and cut the rope that bound her hands together. Hermione gasped as the material was pulled of her, they had dried and stuck inside her wounds, wounds that were once more open and oozing blood. He grabbed a basin of water and a piece of cloth and started cleaning her wrists. Hermione whimpered every time the cloth touched her.  
"I should tell you that your fiancée is indeed dead" he smiled at her. Hermione looked up at him.  
"What?" she asked.  
"He's dead, your Draco. He was cut down by one of my men as he was trying to run from the castle." He added.  
"You're lying, Draco would never run" she spat.  
"I'm not lying, my queen. He ran like the little coward he is and he was cut down because of it. He never even tried to find you" the man continued to speak. Hermione tried to wrap her mind around what he was saying.  
"No, he's not dead, I don't believe you" she whispered, a single tear running down her cheek.  
"He is" he simply added. "I hear he even begged for his life" he looked at her and smiled wickedly. Hermione pulled her wrists to her chest and away from his hands.  
"Tomorrow, we'll go to your coronation together and after the event, you'll announce our wedding." He started to tell her.  
"What? No, I will certainly not" she stood up.  
"You will, you'll announce that you're going to marry me." He repeated. He raised from his seat and walked over to her. Hermione backed away, until she had nowhere left to go. Her back hit the wall and his body crashed into hers soon after. "I will never marry you" she spat, looking him in the eye. He laughed and grabbed her face in his hands.  
"You won't have a choice." He hissed. He threw her on the bed and quickly crawled un top of her. Hermione struggled against him, but he proved too strong.  
"What are you doing?" she shrieked.  
"if you no longer have your virtue, no man other than me will touch you," he smiled. Hermione's eyes grew big and she started to fight him even harder. His hand grabbed her hands and raised them above her head, trapping them. His other hand travelled down to her thigh, quickly gathering up her skirt and touching her skin. Hermione was kicking and screaming but he didn't stop. As he touched her undergarments, she bit him, hard. Hard enough to draw blood. He hissed as blood trickled down his shoulder. He retaliated by slapping her hard. Hermione's vision went black. She tasted iron in her mouth, she must be bleeding. He started ripping her dress, his lips tasting every bit of exposed skin. When her vision returned, Hermione looked for anything that could help her regain the upper hand. She reached and grabbed a candlestick from the nightstand and cocked him on the head with it. He growled and rolled off her and she took that opportunity to ran to the door and pull it open, but she wasn't fast enough. A hand grabbed her wrist and threw her across the room.  
"You little bitch" the man hissed, a small trickle of blood running down his face. Hermione crawled back as far as she could.  
"I was being nice and offering to marry you. That's how far my loyalty reached, but I'm all out now" he yelled at her and Hermione couldn't help but think that she'd gotten herself into an even bigger mess. He stalked over to her and pulled her up by her wrists.  
"I'll ask you once more and give you the chance to save yourself" he hissed, Hermione pressed her eyes shut.  
"Marry me. Marry me or I will kill you right now" he whispered. Hermione remained silent for a second. Her brain running overtime trying to figure out what she would do. Damned that Gryffindor courage and stubbornness though, because when she heard herself speak the next second. She was sure she'd just signed her own death sentence.  
"I will never marry you" she hissed before spitting in his face. He growled and threw her to the ground once more, unsheathing his sword and pointing it at her throat. The tip cut into her skin as she laid on her back, propped up on her elbows, panting. She watched his face as she waited for death to come. But it never did. Instead, she watched his eyes grew big as he dropped the sword, his hands grasping at the sword that stuck through his chest.

Draco heard voices at the end of the hall. He and James had entered the castle as quietly as possible and they agreed to go their separate ways, as that would cover more ground in less time. He followed the direction of the noise and heard a whimper that made his heart sink. He recognized her voice. He carefully opened the door and crept inside. There was a man standing over her, his sword at the edge of her throat. The next couple of minutes happened as though Draco was watching someone else in his body. He stalked his prey, and he drove his blade home. Right through his chest. The man sunk to his knees and Draco hurried to Hermione. He lifted her up in his arms. She was sobbing into his chest.  
"you're alive" she whispered in his neck.  
"I'm here, you're okay. No one is going to hurt you" he held he in his arms.  
"Are you hurt?" he asked her. He pushed her of him and looked at her. Grabbing her hands in his, inspecting her. Her wrists were bound in bloody bandages. He hissed as he inspected her face. There was blood on her lip, trickling down her cheek and she had a cut on her throat. Her clothes were disheveled and ripped.  
"I'm fine" she whispered, her hand touching his cheek.  
"you're alive" she repeated. "They told me you were dead." He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her once more.  
"I'm here" he whispered before picking her up, his arms under her knees and behind her back and carrying her outside. He lifted her atop his horse and just as he mounted, the castle guards arrived. "They're inside. Lord James is already there. I want you to capture every last one of them." He ordered before digging his heals into Rogue's side and speeding off down the path back to the castle. It didn't take him long to get there. He was holding on to Hermione, one arm wrapped around her waist as her body leaned into him. The other hand was occupied with the reins. As soon as he entered the courtyard, the servants came rushing out of the castle. He dismounted his horse and Hermione slid off in his arms. He handed her to the servants as they were surrounding him. They carried her inside and into her room. Draco was told to wait outside. It took a little while before the doctor showed up and entered. Draco was pacing the hallway, waiting for news. The doctor exited and Draco rushed over to him.  
"How is she?" he asked.  
"She's going to be fine, no lasting effects, she's asking for you, my lord" the doctor responded and Draco turned to enter the room.

Hermione was sitting in her bed. Her servants had cleaned her up and dressed her in a new nightgown. The doctor had been in to see her and he had bound her wounds and gave her a tonic to help her. It tasted terrible, but it did seem to dull the ache. The door opened and Draco came in. He looked at her and she smiled softly at him. Hermione told everyone else to leave her room and they bowed before walking out. Draco walked towards her bed and sat down on the edge.  
"How are you feeling?" he asked.  
"I'm fine." She whispered.  
"Do you want to tell me what happened?" she bit her lip.  
"They came into my room, a guard, telling me the castle was under attack. He told me he needed to get me to safety and walked right into his trap. He took me to this secret passageway down in the cellar" she told him. He nodded.  
"We found it and made our way to you." Hermione smiled softly.  
"They threw me in a cell, and then this guy, Davenport, introduced himself." She looked away.  
"He's some rich lord of Argon, and he is against me marrying you" she continued, "he wanted me to marry him instead, so naturally I refused." She stopped talking. Did she really want to tell Draco about what almost happened?  
"How did you get away?" he asked, his eyes boring holes in hers.  
"Well, he didn't take too kindly to my refusal. So he tried to … you know, he tried to" she stopped talking and looked away from him.  
"He tried to what?" she heard the anger in his voice.  
"He tried to rape me" she whispered, barely audible. He got up from the bed, unable to find something to distract him from his anger.  
"But I fought him off, I hit him on the head and tried to run off, but he caught me, and that's when you found me" she ended her story. Draco grabbed a glass bottle from her nightstand and threw it at the wall. He watched it shatter against it surface, its contents slowly dripping down.  
"Did you get them all?" she whispered. He nodded.  
"Every living soul in that castle is in our dungeons now" he answered.  
"Good" she smiled a little. "Are you really okay, Hermione?" he asked. She nodded softly and stepped away from him.  
"I just need to get some rest" Draco nodded.  
"I'll leave you to it then, I'll see you tomorrow" he smiled before walking out the door.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The next morning, Draco dressed himself for Hermione's coronation. His servants had laid out a emerald velvet coat with silver lining. Draco couldn't help but smirk at the Slytherin colours. Even in this era, they were his favourites. He walked with his guards to the great hall, where he was instructed to wait for the coronation. He wouldn't be part of it, of course. He would just on the sidelines, as he wasn't the king, or married to the queen. The hall was packed with people and beautifully decorated with flowers and feathers. After a couple of minutes, the trumpets sounded, announcing the arrival of the queen to be. There were a couple of important looking people standing in front of the crowds, their backs towards the throne. Next to them was a table with a red pillow. On top of it, laid the crown Hermione would soon be wearing. All eyes turned to the door as they swung open, Draco's did as well. His eyes grew big as he watched her walk in. Hermione was wearing a red and gold dress, Gryffindor colours. The dress hugged the upper part of her body just right and the ofshoulder bodice showed her collarbones. A little below her waist, her dress flared into a massive skirt made of red velvet, adorned with patterns of gold. The dress trailed after her for what seemed like miles. Her hair was braided but some strands of her unruly hair had escaped their assigned place. His breath caught in his throat as he watched her ascend the stairs towards the throne. She knelt down, and words were spoken. Draco didn't even register what was said. Hermione's head was bowed as the important-looking people spoke. They handed her a scepter made of gold adorned with rubies, which she held in her little tiny pale hand. Then it happened, they grabbed the crown. It was big and heavy, also made of gold and adorned with opals and rubies. They lifted it to the skies before carefully placing it on her head. It fit her perfectly.  
"All hail the queen, long may she reign" the person in front of Hermione stated and the sentence was repeated by the crowd. Hermione rose to her feet and walked over to the throne, carefully sitting down. Draco could see that she was trying her best to not look scared or nervous. Her neck was extended and her shoulders were tense. He could see every tendant in her neck strain. She held her head high as she oversaw her subjects and her eyes fell on him. She managed a soft smile and stood.  
"My beloved subjects, I am so honoured to be your queen and I will try my best to be the queen you all deserve. But as a queen, I will need someone by my side to help me achieve that goal." A soft murmur sounded through the hall. "I have found someone who will help me be a good queen, a righteous queen, a just queen. I have found someone that I believe will make me a better queen than I could be on my own. So I am pleased to announce that my engagement to Draco, the crown prince of England, will soon result in our wedding as I want him at my side for this part of my journey." She finished and reached her hand out to him.  
Draco smiled at her and took it eagerly. "Are you sure about this?" he whispered. She smiled at him .  
"I know what I want." He took his place next to Hermione and scanned the hall. The person Draco was looking for was standing in the shadows, glaring at him. Draco enjoyed the look on his face. He won.

After the coronation, there was a feast. But Draco and Hermione didn't stay long. He dragged her through the hallway into an empty room, a library. "You do understand what you just did, didn't you?" he whispered, closing the door.  
Hermione stood in the centre of the room, her huge skirt gathered in her hands. "I do" she confirmed.  
"Every one of Davenport's men will be coming for you" he hissed. The euphoric feeling of having bested James didn't last long when he thought things through.  
"I don't care" she smirked. He walked over to her.  
"Hermione, this is your life we're talking about." He grabbed her hands and her skirt felt to the floor in a bundle.  
"I know that! But I won't live in fear" she hissed.  
Draco grunted and turned his back to her. "How can you be this reckless. If something happens to either of us, there will be no going back home!" he yelled.  
"There is no going home anyway, Draco! Neither of us has magic! We're stuck here, don't you understand?" she retorted. "  
You can't know that" he leaned against a bookcase.  
"Don't be stupid, Draco, we haven't got any magic, there is literally no way of travelling back to the future!" She hissed.  
"You don't realize what you've just done" he hissed, stalking over to her and grabbing her face in his hands. "We might both die here, you do understand that, right, we might both die because of what you did." His hands were on either side of her face, holding on to her face and shaking with every word he said.  
"I know what I want" she repeated, her eyes set on him. He fell silent, he was panting, looking at her for a second. She was very calm and collected, her chest rising and falling at a steady pace. He gave himself a moment to wrap his mind around what she was saying. Only a moment though, because the next seconds his lips crashed onto hers. He clung to her as if she was the air he needed to survive. His hands clasping her face and his body pressing into hers. He felt her hands sneak into his hair, carefully wrapping her fingers into his locks and tugging softly. His tongue slowly travelled over her lips and she opened her mouth to invite him. Her tongue met his and he tasted her. It felt like an explosion was happening in his head. His mind was foggy with her taste and her smell and it felt like there was nothing in this world but this room and the both of them, involved in each other. His hands grabbed her waist and he lifted her atop the desk in the centre of the room, placing his body between her legs. Hermione gasped and pulled him closer, her hand digging into the back of his neck. Her other hand travelled to the hem of his shirt and carefully slid underneath it. Draco hissed at the contact of her cold hand with his skin, but reveled in the feeling none the less. His hands tugged at her hair, pulling her lips towards him, tasting her. Hermione unbuttoned his shirt and broke the kiss. He gasped as he felt her lips on his chest, her hands pulling his cloak and shirt of his shoulders. He was standing bare-chested before her and her soft hands explored every inch of his exposed skin. He grabbed her face in his hands and pulled her up to meet his lips once more. His hands slid behind her back and he carefully started tugging at the laces of her dress. He loosened them and the red fabric slid of her body and pooled at her feet. She was wearing a black corset underneath, not lavish, but simple and a black tulle skirt. He took a step back to look at her. What she was wearing now would qualify as a dress in their own era, but Draco flushed slightly as he looked at her. She was beautiful and he felt like he was committing a sin by looking at her in this outfit. She didn't let him think on it too long, because she grabbed the back of his neck and pulled her back towards him. He responded by grabbing her skirt and reaching underneath to grab her thighs. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, clinging to him while her lips were devouring his. Her head towered over him slightly, so her curls fell in his face. He reached one hand to intertwine his fingers in them. Draco didn't know what would have happened if there hadn't sounded a knock on the door. He quickly let Hermione slide to the floor, his hands still grasping at her waist.  
"One moment please" she yelled at the door. He watched as she picked up her dress and turned her back to him, her hair gathered in her hands. He understood and quickly laced her dress back up. He did the same thing with his own clothes. She walked to the door but he caught her hand, holding her in place. Their eyes met and at that moment he knew that neither of them knew what this meant, so he let her go and she exited the room.

Hermione walked out of the room to find Lord McCarty standing there. "Your advisors are looking for you, my queen" he bowed. She nodded. "I'll go and meet them. I would imagine that they aren't too happy with me at the moment." Lord McCarthy didn't say anything and he gestured her to follow him. Hermione straightened her hair on the way, tucking some of the unruly curls back in their place. She thought back of what just had happened. It had been a gamble on her part. She had thought that Draco might have not felt what she had been feeling these past days so she had remained vague. But the moment his lips had touched hers, everything had felt exactly right. It felt as though that was the way it was intended to be. She knew she took a risk announcing her engagement and confirming it again. But she didn't want anyone else at her side. She didn't trust anyone else. As they walked the hallways, she saw James walking towards her. "My queen, I'd like a word." He hissed, sounding slightly put off. "I don't have time right now" she answered. "It's important" he whispered. "It will have to wait" she responded before walking on towards the end of the hall, leaving James standing with his fists clenched.

As Draco exited the room minutes later, he, too, found James walking towards him. Draco rolled his eyes and started walking in the opposite direction but he caught up with him and slammed him into the wall. Draco's head hit the stone and he was sure he heard a crack. "You do not get to have her" James hissed, his mouth next to Draco's mouth. "And what are you going to do about that?" Draco smirked. It was definitely like poking an angry dragon, but he couldn't help himself. Draco heard voices down the hall. James pushed himself of Draco. "Don't get to comfortable, Draco" he hissed before stalking off.

 **Author's note: Hi guys! I've been trying to write some more chapters for you guys, but I'm dying to find out what you guys think! So please review if you can/want, it would help me a great deal! Thanks**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Hermione was exhausted after meeting with her advisors. She hadn't been mistaken, they weren't happy with her at all. They wanted her to reconsider, to marry James. They had yelled at her that she was stupid and that this would mean the end of her rule, the end of her country. She had yelled back. She told them that the only reason she was still alive to be married, was because of Draco and that if she had to be a queen, she would do it with the person who had saved her and whom she could trust. But it had been an exhausting feet. They eventually decided to give her time and space to change her mind, which she wouldn't. But it did make sure that they didn't bother her any longer. She had retreated to her chambers and shedded the dress. She managed to get out of it on her own, as Draco hadn't laced it as tight as her servants would have. She was standing once again in her black corsetdress when a knock on the door sounded. She rolled her eyes and sighed. Seriously, wouldn't they ever leave her alone. She opened the door to yell at them some more, but standing in the hallway was Draco Malfoy. She opened her mouth to yell, but as soon as she saw him, she shut it again.  
"Can I come in?" he asked. She noticed that he, too, must have been getting ready for the night as he was just wearing a loose white shirt and some black trousers.  
"Sure" she answered and opened the door completely to let him in.  
"I wanted to know how your meeting with your advisors went, I imagine they weren't too happy with us" he smiled. Hermione shook her head.  
"Well, no, they weren't" she complied. She turned away from him and looked in the mirror. She was carefully taking the braids out of her hair and she let it cascade down her back. She felt Draco's hands on her shoulders.  
"I figured we needed to talk about what happened in the library" he whispered in her ear. She nodded.  
"Yeah, we should" she whispered. His hand combed her hair over her shoulder, exposing her neck. She closed her eyes as he pressed his lips on the spot where her neck and shoulder met. She leaned into his body.  
"Draco" she protested "I thought we were going to talk." He smirked against her skin.  
"But this is so much more fun" he breathed. His hands slid down her frame, to her back and he started working on the strings that kept her corset in place. Hermione turned around and forced him to stop fidgeting with her corset. She placed her hands on his chest and looked up at him while pushing him back.  
"Malfoy, as much as I would like you to continue, we need to talk about this" she whispered. He sighed and closed his eyes.  
"Yeah alright" he answered. He sat down on her bed and she sat down next to him.  
"What is happening here?" she asked. He looked at her and bit his lip. His hand raised to her cheek and his thumb ran over her cheekbone.  
"I honestly don't know. Maybe it's just this weird time travelthing" he answered. She looked at him and leaned into his touch.  
"It's scary" she whispered. He smiled.  
"yeah, it is, and crazy" he laughed. She grabbed his face in her hands.  
"Totally insane. But that's why I trust it" she whispered before pressing her lips to his. They had never kissed like this. They had kissed in the heat of the moment, passionate and hungry, but not like this. His hand laid on the back of is neck and he pressed her closer to him. Her tongue gliding over his bottom lip and his meeting hers. He broke the kiss and pressed his forehead against her.  
"This is unreal" he whispered, smiling. She nodded but didn't say anything. "I ran into James after you left" he whispered. Hermione broke away from him and looked at him, one eyebrow raised.  
"What did he want?" she asked. Draco smiled.  
"He wasn't happy, I'll tell you that." He grabbed her hand. "Nothing I can't handle, though" he smirked.  
"Well, he won't be leaving any time soon. He will come back to English court with us, for as long as my advisors don't let up" she answered, looking down.  
"I know, it's fine. We'll manage him" he whispered.  
"My advisors told me something else, too" she started, getting up and walking a few steps away from him. He looked at her, she looked nervous. "The old king had a seer in his court, a woman who supposedly has magic and can see the future." She looked at him.  
"Well, that sounds like a lot of crap" he laughed.  
"Yeah, maybe, but wouldn't it be worth it if we went to see for ourselves. We know what magic looks like and maybe, just maybe, she'll have a way out for us." He got up and walked over to her.  
"If you want to go see the crazy lady, we'll go see the crazy lady" he grabbed her face in his hands. "I will go with you, I'll follow where ever you go" he pressed a soft kiss on her forehead. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him into a hug. "We'll go tomorrow, before we leave for England." He nodded.

Draco held her in his arms as she slept. They had crawled into her bed not long after their conversation and she had fallen asleep almost immediately. Her head was resting on his chest and his arms were wrapped around her, carefully rubbing her arms. He didn't understand what was happening between the two of them, but he would follow her to the end of the earth if she asked him to. Maybe it was because they were in a universe where they only knew eachother, or maybe it was because of the prophecy, but from the moment they got here, he had been drawn to her. He wanted to be near her, wanted to be able to touch her. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that she would feel the same way and that they would come together. It was rather odd. He didn't think it could ever have happened in their own time. But here she was, asleep in his arms. The girl who supposedly was his nemesis. He knew it was only temporary though, if she found out about him, it would all be over. There was no way she would trust him then. It didn't matter, he would make the most out of the time they had together. She stirred in her sleep and moaned. He looked at her and pressed a soft kiss on her hair. "It's going to be fine, Hermione, we're going to be fine" he whispered.

Draco stayed with Hermione all night. He just held her and they slept until the morning sun warmed the room. Hermione stretched in his grasp and carefully opened her eyes. "You stayed" she whispered. He smiled at her.  
"Of course I did" he pressed a kiss on her forehead and she crawled out of bed.  
"Should I call for my ladies? It's time to get dressed." She asked. He shook his head.  
"I'll help you get dressed" he smirked. She turned and raised her eyebrows at him.  
"What do you know about dressing girls?" He got up and walked over to her.  
"It can't be that difficult." He smiled as he rummaged through her dresses.  
"Besides, I have better taste." He smirked. She slapped him on the arm before combing her hair. She decided to just tie it into a high ponytail and added a crown on top of her head.  
"Okay, I've decided." He announced. Hermione turned around and looked at Draco. He was holding a black dress with a silver harness. Hermione grabbed it from him.  
"Well, fine, if you insist" she answered.  
"I do" he smirked.  
"Turn around." She commanded and he obliged. She slid off her skirt but kept her corset on, it would fit perfectly under this dress and she didn't believe in the fact that Malfoy could actually tie corset in a decent way. Afterwards, she stepped into the dress. It sleeves covered her arms and parts of her hands as well. They were tight fitting, as well as the rest of the dress. "Alright, you can turn around" Draco looked at her, he walked over to her and started working on the dress. His fine fingers tying it and making it fit even snugger around her body. The silver harness was designed so it looked like silver leaves tangling her body. She turned to him when he was done.  
"There, you look beautiful." Hermione smiled at the compliment.  
"Thanks" she blushed.  
"I should go get ready too." She nodded. "I'll come find you after" he pressed a soft kiss on her lips and walked out the door. Hermione watched him leave and she also saw to other people enter the room.  
"My lady, you're already dressed?" the two ladies maids looked shocked. She smiled at them and walked out of the room herself. It was time to do some of her queenly chores. Her guards weren't at her door, which was unusual, but Hermione didn't think much of it. It wasn't until she was pulled into an empty room that she vowed to herself to be more careful.  
"We need to talk" someone whispered into her ear. Hermione recognized the voice immediately.  
"What do you think you're doing? I could have you imprisoned for this." She hissed.  
"Well, you refused to speak to me." He turned her against the wall, his hands gripping her shoulders.  
"Let go of me, James" she pushed him off her.  
"Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you" he took a step back and raised his hands.  
"Then what do you want?" she hissed.  
"To talk, I just want to talk" he sounded sincere.  
"Okay, fine, so talk."  
He took a deep breath and started. "I'm just confused, is all. I thought we had something here." He took a step closer.  
"What? I've always been engaged to Draco" Hermione answered.  
"Yeah, but that didn't stop you from kissing me." He took another step closer.  
"You kissed me!" she hissed. "And you did nothing to stop me, did you?" Another step.  
"Look, you can deny it all you want, you can try to pretend, but I know what there is between us, and I won't give up." Another step.  
"There is nothing between us!" she yelled, pressing her body against the wall. He took another step, his body almost pressed against hers.  
"Oh, but there is." He grabbed her face in his hands and pressed his lips on hers. Hermione gasped at the sudden action and tried to push him off her, but he was too strong. So she did the only thing she could, she bit his lip, hard. He cursed as he pulled away from her. "Don't ever touch me again. Get it into your head that you and I are nothing" she hissed before stalking out the door.


	13. Chapter 13

Author's note:  
I really want to do a shoutout to Chester99! I always love reading your reviews and you've given me some extra insight into my story as well as the motivation to continue! Thank you so much!

 **Chapter 13**

"Your Grace, this man here stole five chickens from me, I want t see him punished." The farmer standing in front of Hermione had a man with him. A man that was seemingly already beaten pretty badly.  
"I would like to hear both sides of the story." Hermione commanded. The wounded man stepped forward.  
"I have no defense, your grace, I took the chickens." The man bowed his head.  
"What would you have me do, sir?" Hermione turned to other man.  
"I want to have his hands" he simply stated. Hermoine grimaced, cutting off someone's hands because of some chickens seemed like a totally barbaric practice.  
"It seems to me that you've already taken justice into your own hands when you decided to beat this man within an inch of his life. So therefore, there will be no further punishment from me." The man started to protest but Hermione shot him an evil look.  
"You are free to go, just refrain from stealing any more chickens please." She smiled at the man and had them both escorted out of the throne room. The next thing she saw was Draco entering the room, once again elegantly dressed in black and silver. He took his place next to her.  
"You took your sweet time" she smiled at him.  
"It takes time looking this good" he smirked. Hermione rose from her seat. She looked at her advisor and motioned him to come closer.  
"You can finish up with this, but be advised, if I hear that you did not honor my wishes and disobey my orders, I will have you punished." Draco smiled at the advisor and they both walked out the room.  
"So, where do we find this magic woman?" Draco asked.  
"Well, I had a message sent, so she should be waiting for us in my office." He nodded and they started walking towards her office.  
"I really hope she is nothing like that Trelawney woman from Hogwarts." Hermione looked at him.  
"So you didn't like her either, huh?" He shook his head.  
"What a load of bullshit that woman told us." Hermione smiled, finally someone agreed with her on this subject. It didn't matter much, however. They would probably never get back to Hogwarts, so why would it matter what the both of them thought about one of the teachers.

They entered Hermione's offices minutes later. The woman was standing by the window. She had long black hair that was tied in a braid that almost reached her knees.  
"You asked to see me?" she turned towards Hermione and made a curtsy bow.  
"I did." Hermione examined the woman. She looked about 40 years old. Her eyes were very light blue, almost white and scary looking. She was wearing black clothes in several layers and a hood.  
"I'm at your service , my queen, as I was at your father's service." the woman stated. Draco raised an eyebrow and shot Hermione a meaningful look.  
"I need you to promise me that whatever is said in this room will remain in this room. You are to speak to no one about this except me or prince Draco, is that understood?" she asked. The woman nodded.  
"Of course, my queen." She motioned them to sit down on the couchlike piece of furniture and they complied. Draco sat down next to her and the woman sat in front of them.  
"What is it you would like me to do?" the woman asked them. Hermione took a deep breath.  
"Tell us about our past." Hermione whispered, barely audible.  
"My queen, why would you want to know of your past? It's not an unknown thing to you." The woman grabbed one of Hermione's hands and one of Draco's hands in hers and closed her eyes, apparently complying with Hermione's request. Hermione looked at Draco, he grabbed her other hand and squeezed it.  
"I see animosity." The woman started. "You were enemies, I can feel hate and anger." So far so good. "I can see a castle, not this castle, a foreign castle in a foreign time." Hermione bit her lip. The woman's eyes shot open and she looked at both Draco and Hermione in shock.  
"You are not from here" she whispered. "What?" Hermione asked. "You are not from here" the woman repeated. "You are from a time beyond my own" Draco looked at Hermione and saw the corners of her mouth rise a little.  
"I need you to tell me if we can get back to where we belong." Hermione insisted, ignoring the woman's confused and shocked looks. The woman closed her eyes again and remained quiet for a very long time. She started mumbling incoherent words and Hermione felt the pressure on her hand increase. The woman started shaking and shouting and Hermione pulled her hand from her grasp. The woman fell backwards and started convulsing. Hermione rushed to her side. "  
It's okay, you don't have to tell us, you can stop!" she yelled. There was foam coming from the woman's mouth and her nose was bleeding. Hermione tried to immobilize the woman but the strength of the spasms was too powerful for her to control. A couple of seconds later the woman went rigid and still. Hermione pressed a finger against her throat and was happy to find a heartbeat. Draco was sitting next to her, looking at the woman. Suddenly, her eyes shot open and she grabbed Hermione's face in her hands.  
" _Neither can return while the other is alive"_ she hissed, before her eyes rolled back into her skull and she lost consciousness. Hermione sat there, baffled, too shocked to move. Draco stood and threw the door open.  
"Fetch the physician! This woman is to be given the best care the castle has to offer" he yelled. The guards complied and some came in to carry the woman to the hospitalwing. Draco sat down next to Hermione.  
"She'll be okay" he whispered. Hermione looked at him.  
"Did you hear what she said?" she asked, tears welling in her eyes. He nodded.  
"Look, you have to get back, you have a job to do in our world. You have to help that daft chosen one defeat Voldemort" he started. Hermione frowned at him as a tear rolled down her cheek.  
"What are you saying?" she asked.  
"I'm saying that if only one of us is getting back, it should be you." He grabbed her face in his hands.  
"I'm nothing at Hogwarts, I don't have a part to play in this war. Getting you back to Hogwarts would be the best thing I could do with my life." Hermione couldn't wrap her head around what he was saying.  
"Are you insane?" she hissed, tears streaming down her face. She grabbed his hands and pulled them from her face. She stood up and started pacing the room.  
"You really are stupid, Malfoy" she hissed, clenching her fists. Draco looked at her, confused.  
"You must be the most retarded person in the world if you for one second believe that I'll go back without you, that I'll let you give your life for mine. Well, not even for my life, just for my life at Hogwarts. Do you really think that little of me?" she yelled. Well, now he was even more confused. Wasn't it supposedly romantic when a guy is ready to give his life for a girl? Yet here she was, screaming at him, furious.  
"We'll just stay here, together, and we'll live our lives. I'll be queen of this country and soon you'll be king. We'll have a life as royals instead of one of magic and I can live with that." Draco stood and looked at his queen. She was beautiful when she was angry.  
"Don't you get it? I'd rather stay here with you then go back alone." She finally stood still and looked at him. He smiled a little.  
"What are you smiling at, I'm yelling at you." She yelled even more. He ignored her protests as he ran over to her and picked her up in his arms, twirling her around the room.  
"What the hell are you doing?" she shrieked. He put her down and once again captured her face in his hands.  
"We'll stay here, together" he smiled and looked at her. She nodded and he pressed his lips on hers.


	14. Chapter 14

Author's note: I'd like to react to the guestreview on the previous chapter. It would indeed be a good idea to get to Ollivander's, but the problem isn't the lack of wands, it's the fact that the original Draco and Hermione weren't magical. They were just muggles, royal muggles, but still, no magic!

Anyways, enjoy the next chapter! It's a bit lovey dovey though.

 **Chapter 14**

The next couple of days were rather uneventful. Hermione and Draco had returned to England. James had been called back by his father for some family business and Hermione couldn't be happier that he was gone. In the meantime, she and Draco spent most of their time together. Getting to know each other away from Hogwarts.  
"So explain it to me again, your parents spend their time rummaging through people's mouths?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.  
"Well, yes." They were walking the grounds, as seemed to be an activity not frowned upon by any of the nobles.  
"Why?" he looked at her incredulously.  
"Muggles don't have magic to fix their teeth." She explained. He nodded.  
"Damn, I miss magic" he sighed. "Me too" she agreed. He grabbed her hand in his and squeezed it.  
"My father tells me that we're to be married soon" he answered.  
"What's soon according to the king?" she asked.  
"Well, I believe it would be within the next week. Mother has been arranging everything. It's going to be quite the feast." Hermione bit her lip. She hated attention and big parties. If she had imagined her wedding at all, it would have been a small family get-together, simple and elegant.  
"Are you okay?" Draco was looking at her with a worried look. His steel grey eyes seeking her golden ones.  
"Yeah, I'm fine, just a tat nervous." She smiled at him.  
"Hey, it will be fine. I'll be there with you the entire time and we're the only ones that matter anyways." He stopped and pressed his hand on her cheek.  
"Just you and me, that's all that matters" he rephrased as he pressed a kiss on her lips. Hermione smiled at him as he wrapped his arms around her. She rest her head against his chin and took a moment to think about her life. She was no longer just part of the golden trio, she was a queen. Responsible for an entire country and all the people in it. She had fallen for her nemesis, the boy she loved to hate back home. He seemed different here though, he seemed less burdened. There was no Voldemort here, but that didn't mean that things weren't dangerous. She closed her eyes for a second and let her body enjoy the proximity of Draco. His sent invaded her nose and she breathed in deeply. He smelled of apples and freshly mowed grass. He smelled fresh and clean and masculine. She hadn't been lying when she told him that she wanted to stay here with him. If he couldn't follow her back, she would never leave. She had a taste of life with him and she couldn't imagine never having it again. He made her heart beat faster and her breath hitch. He made her feel just that little bit less burdened when he was with her. He made her feel complete.  
Draco pressed his nose in her hair. She smelled like a breath of spring air. His nose was filled with the scent of vanilla and violets. He, too, took a moment to wrap his minds around the events of the past couple of days. In his arms he had Hermione Granger, brain of the dimwitted duo, golden girl of the light side and brightest witch of her age. She was everything he was not, and she had everything he wanted. She didn't have parents who forced her to be on the side they chose. She didn't have her entire life figured out for her. Yet, in this moment, he didn't feel envious of her anymore. He just felt protective. He pressed her closer to his chest, willing to never let her go again. He didn't know how it had happened, but his entire heart was now inhabited by the girl that was Hermione. She had moved in without him even noticing and she had rearranged all the furniture. She had given up her life, her friends, her family, all for him. Just so that they could stay together. He couldn't say that anyone had ever done that for him before. So he vowed to himself that he would remain by her side for as long as she would have him. He would protect her from all harm, he would shield her from any danger. He would be her dragon.

The day of the wedding came sooner than Hermione expected. Her ladies maids had been mussing over her for hours. Bathing her, fixing her hair, her makeup, getting her dress. She could only hope that Draco was enduring the same torture. Her hair was tied back in a long braid, with two strands, curled to perfection hanging on either side of her face. Next up was getting into the dress. Hermione had had little to no part in choosing the dress, but she imagined it would look beautiful none the less. Her ladies maids helped her step into the skirt and they pulled on the dress. It was white, of course. She wasn't wearing a corset, which seemed odd to Hermione, but she went with it anyways. The back was see-through fabric with tiny white buttons lining her spine. Over her shoulders there hung two tulle pieces of fabric that reached to the ground and even further, a sort of cape. The front of the dress reached to her throat, although the most part of it was see-through, the bodice was not. It was embellished with an intricate design of silver flowers and curls, wrapping around her frame like a harness. The skirt was made out of a delicate fabric that flowed to the floor in several layers, pooling at her feet.  
"And for the final touch" one of her maids smiled. A crown was placed on her head. A silver crown, adorned with opals. It had chains that hung over her hair, which reminded Hermione of fairies or elves.  
"You look beautiful, my queen." Hermione smiled at her reflection. She really did. She looked like a proper queen now. There was a knock on the door and one of her guards came into the room.  
"They're ready for you, your grace." He bowed. Hermione nodded and smile at the man. Her stomach was doing kickflips and she didn't really know how she felt. Her escort walked her to the ballroom where everyone was waiting. They positioned her outside the door.  
"You'll start walking as soon as the music starts." She nodded. It didn't take long for the music to start and the doors to swing open. Hermione took a deep breath and started walking. She looked towards the end of the walkway. Everyone was looking at her but she was looking at him. Draco was standing at the end, smiling at her. He was wearing a black costume again, with beautiful silver patterns on it, not unlike the ones on her dress. He had a crown on his head and a chain around his neck. He looked beautiful. She carefully took the steps down the room until she was close to Draco. He reached his hand out to her and she gladly took it.  
"Nervous?" he whispered. "you have no idea" she answered and he smiled at her. They knelt in front of the priest and he presented them with a contract. Draco signed first and then it was her turn. Hermione signed her name with the pen and that was that. They were blessed by the church officials and they rose. Draco presented her with a ring. It was silver with an opal in the middle and she presented him with his ring, which was also silver but had no stones. He smiled at her when the priest started talking again. Neither was listening. Hermione was lost in Draco's smile as he pressed his hand against her cheek. She leaned into his touch. He grabbed her face in his hands and pressed his lips on hers, extracting a gasp from the crowd as the priest stopped his sermon. Hermione weaved her fingers in his soft hair and deepened the kiss. She could have stayed like that all day, but Draco broke the kiss. The priest resumed his speech and Hermione and Draco refrained from shocking everyone again. They were just standing there, smiling at each other.

After the official ceremony, there was a feast with dancing, of course. It was customary for the queen and king to have the first dance of the evening as the crowd watched. Hermione's stomach was doing flips as she tried to remember the steps of the dance her ladies had been teaching her. Draco guided her towards the middle of the dance floor before letting go of her hand. They stood, facing each other. Draco bowed to her and Hermione did the same. He held out his palms towards her, about the same height as his face and she responded by doing the same. Their palms weren't touching, but it seemed like the absence of a touch made it even more thrilling. The music was playing when they turned around together, their palms remaining in the same place. Next they took a step back and dropped their hands, just to bring one palm up again as they stepped towards each other once more. Twirling around one another while staring into each other's eyes. They broke apart once more and the next minute, Draco's hand was on Hermione's waist and his other hand was holding hers tightly as he guided her over the dancefloor. She was grateful for his pureblood heritage as he was a better dancer than she was. The music picked up and Hermione gasped as Draco's hands both grasped her waist and lifted her in the air before twirling her around once more. As he put her down, his hand cupped her cheek and he kissed her again. Hermione tried to remember a moment where she was happier than she was right now, but failed miserably. Other people were starting to dance and Hermione and Draco took this moment to stand on the sidelines.  
"This is crazy" she whispered.  
"Yeah it is, never in my life did I ever imagine being married to Hermione Granger" he smiled at her.  
"What happens now?" she asked, knowing very well what it was.  
"Well, we should be leaving for the consummation soon" he looked at his feet.  
"Ah, yes, that. Well, I've had my advisors look into it. In Argon, the newlyweds don't have to consummate right away and they also don't have to do it in front of an audience." She stated.  
"But in England we do" he continued.  
"Yes, but I am the queen of Argon and you are not the king of England yet. So don't worry about it, I'm not consummating anything and certainly not in front of an audience." She sounded very proud of herself.  
"Well, alright then." He walked away from her and Hermione couldn't help but feel that she did something wrong.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's note:** Hey guys, sorry for the wait! I started a new job a while ago and it's taking up most of my time. Don't worry, I won't abandon this story! As always, please read and review!

 **Chapter 15**

Draco knew he had no right to be angry, but he couldn't help it. Hearing her proudly say that she had prevented the consummation of their marriage had ignited a fire inside his stomach. If she really found him that terrible, then why did she agree to marry him? How could she just cast the idea in the wind without even talking to him? Granted, he didn't want to have sex in front of an audience either, but at least the idea of having sex with her didn't appall him. She was standing on the other side of the room, fidgeting. He ought to save her from awkward conversations with people she never met, but still, he felt she deserved everything that came her way at this point. He knew he was acting ridiculous.  
"Shouldn't you be with your bride?" a voice whispered in his ear. Draco spun around and found James, smirking at him.  
"What are you doing here?" he hissed.  
"Oh, I returned today, just in time for the wedding." Draco snarled at him.  
"Well, you're too late to do the whole 'I object' thing, you know." James smirked.  
"Yes, apparently." Draco didn't trust the boy standing in front of him. This was the same guy that slammed him into a wall after Hermione announced her engagement.  
"I won" he hissed, staring James down.  
"So it seems" the boy agreed. He turned around and started walking away from Draco, but he only took a couple of steps before looking back. "Of course, nothing is ever as it seems here."

Draco narrowed his eyes as James walked over to Hermione and took a bow. He grabbed her hand and pressed a kiss on it. Draco quickly made his way over to them and took his rightful place next to Hermione.  
"I wanted to congratulate you both." He smiled sweetly.  
"I'm sure" Hermione answered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. _Good girl._ James smirked and walked away from him.  
"Ugh, we should've known he would be back." She hissed. He nodded.  
"There is nothing he can do, we're married now." He smiled. They just stood there, next to each other, awkwardly, for a couple of minutes.  
"Draco, I'm sorry for the whole consummation thing." She finally whispered. He looked up at her.  
"There is nothing to be sorry for, I'm sorry for acting like an insecure little boy." He answered and wrapped his arms around her.

After spending some more time at the feast, Hermione and Draco were escorted to their chambers by some of the nobles as well as the clerics. They shut the door on them and left them in the room by themselves. Apparently, not being able to watch them have sex, they would settle for listening by the door.  
"Are they going to stay out there all night?" she asked, pressing her ear against the wood of the door.  
"Well, I don't know, this isn't how it usually works." He smirked.  
"No, I guess not" she smiled, resuming her eavesdropping. Draco mimicked her movements and they both listened to the hum and drum of their audience. After a little while though, he got bored and started wandering around the room.  
"Hey, Hermione?" he asked. She turned towards him, still slightly startled when he used her given name in such a kind manner.  
"Yeah?" he looked at a trinket in his hands.  
"What would happen if we got back to Hogwarts?" he asked, afraid to look at her.  
"What do you mean? I thought it was clear that we were never going back?" she asked.  
"Yeah, I know, but what if?" he insisted. Hermione looked at him. He was fidgeting and avoiding looking back at her. She walked over to him and grabbed his face in her hands.  
"Nothing would change" she whispered.  
"What?" he asked, frowning.  
"Everything that started here, would still be the same if we went back" she clarified. He smiled at her explanation. He tried to absentmindedly replace the glass trinket to free his hands for other endeavors but he completely missed the table and the thing crashed to the floor. Shining pieces of glass flowed all over the floor.  
"Fuck" he hissed. Hermione bent down and started picking up the pieces, gathering them in her hands. It didn't take her long to accidently cut herself on one of the pieces.  
"Ah, crap" she hissed, dropping all the glass.  
"What happened?" he grabbed her hand. "It's nothing, just a little cut" she whispered. Her hand was dripping with blood. Draco stared at it and for a moment, he didn't know what to do. His instincts were telling him to reach for his wand to heal the cut and clean the blood, but he didn't have his wand. Hermione grabbed a piece of cloth and started wrapping it around her hand. She looked at him.  
"What's the matter? I thought I was the one who cut my hand and yet, here you are looking troubled?" she smirked. He stood up and grunted.  
"Seriously, Malfoy, what's wrong?" she asked as she finished wrapping her hand. There was some blood staining the fabric. He walked over to her and grabbed her hand.  
"I feel so useless here" he hissed.  
"What?" she looked up at him.  
"If we were home, I could just fix this in a second. I could protect you from almost anything." He continued. "out here, I'm useless, I don't have any power. I am nothing" He shook his head. Hermione placed his hand on her cheek and he looked up.  
"Malfoy. I don't need you to be powerful, I don't need you to have magic. I like you exactly like this. Besides, it's just a cut." She smiled at him. He didn't say anything. "You really don't know how much I care about you, do you?" she whispered before grabbing his face in her hands and kissing him. He gasped and this time, it was her turn to take this chance to carefully invade his mouth with her tongue. Draco was slightly taken aback by her brazenness but it didn't take him long to regain control of the situation. He wrapped his hand in her hair and pressed her closer, his other hand residing on her hip. She was still in her wedding dress and Draco started kissing her neck as he was carefully unbuttoning the back of her dress. As his hands touched the bare skin on her back, he stopped for a moment.  
"We can just stop, right now, we could just lay down and kiss or do nothing at all" he whispered against her lips.  
"Don't be stupid, I want this" she answered breathlessly before reaching behind his neck and pressing his lips to hers again. She, in her own turn, started on his shirt, dropping it to the floor before he even realized she managed to unbutton it. Her delicate fingers traced patterns on his skin and he shivered. She stepped away from him and her golden eyes sought out his silver stormy ones. They were both panting. Hermione reached for the shoulders of her dress and carefully let it slide to the floor. Draco gasped. She was standing before him looking absolutely perfect. There wasn't a blemish on her skin, it was perfectly pearly. Her brown curls reached over her breasts and he could see every breath she took in the movement of her chest. It took him a minute to regain his voice.  
"You are so beautiful" he whispered breathlessly before pulling her into his arms again. He lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He loved the feeling of her curls cascading over his face as she towered over him, her lips pressed on his. He places his hands on her ass and walked them over to the bed where he carefully laid her down before stepping out of his trousers and climbing on top of her. He let his hands slide over her body, pausing at her breasts to play with her hard nipples. After that, he trailer further down, grabbing her knee and bending her leg up.  
"You're sure about this?" he whispered. She grabbed his face in her hands and looked at him.  
"I've never been more certain of anything my entire life" she answered, sounding determined like only Hermione Granger could sound. He pressed his lips to hers and carefully pressed himself inside of her. She gasped as the sting of pain as her entered her. He paused for a second, letting her get accustomed to the feeling. After a couple of seconds she kissed him again. He could sense the hunger in her kiss en carefully started moving. She moaned his name into his ear and this drove him to madness. He quickened his pace and wrapped his arm around her back to lift her into his trust. He bit down on her collarbone to stop himself from falling over the edge too soon. Her fingernails were raking red scratches over his back. He could feel she was close as he felt her tightening around him. He pressed his lips to hers as he himself toppled over the edge, growling against her lips as she bit back a moan. He collapsed on top of her. They were both struggling to catch their breath as they lay there, naked against eachother. He repositioned himself next to her and pulled her into his arms. She looked at him and smiled. They heard talking on the other side of the door.  
"I believe they are satisfied." She smirked.  
"Not as satisfied as I am." He whispered.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: So because I made you guys wait so long for a follow-up, I have another chapter for you guys! Enjoy! And please review, I could use some motivation these days as I am having a huge fight with my family about my future.**

 **Chapter 16**

Hermione felt the sunlight warm her face but she dreaded opening her eyes. She turned over and felt someone wrap his arm around her waist before she was pulled into another body. It took her a minute to remember the events from the night before. When it all came crashing back, she couldn't help but smile. She opened her eyes and looked at the sleeping face of Draco Malfoy.  
"Good morning" she whispered. He slowly opened his eyes.  
"Hush now Granger, just a little while longer" he moaned.  
"Well, I give you a couple more seconds before my ladies come bursting in to dress me" she laughed. He growled some more. Hermione crawled from under his arm and wrapped herself in a black dressing gown with gold embellishments. Malfoy covered his head with the pillow. Hermione smiled and shook her head. A couple of seconds later, there was a knock on the door.  
"Your grace, we're here to dress you" the ladies spoke from the other side of the door.  
"You can come in." she said deviously. Suddenly, Draco sat up in the bed.  
"I'll kill you for that Granger" he hissed before quickly dressing himself. Hermione's ladies entered the room just as Draco had managed to put on his pants. The girls started blushing and quickly turned away from him.  
"We're sorry, your liege, we didn't know you were still in here." Draco muttered something before pulling on his shirt and pressing a kiss to Hermione's lips.  
"See you later" he yelled before running off.  
"Girls, you can turn around now" she smiled at her ladies.  
"We're so sorry" they started.  
"Hey, really, there is nothing you should apologize for!" she answered.

Draco dressed himself before going to the throneroom and visiting his father.  
"Ah, if it isn't my favourite son." The king announced when Draco walked in.  
"I'm your only son, but I'll take it" he hissed.  
"I take it your wedding night went perfectly? I sure hope you got the girl pregnant already" he started. Draco rolled his eyes.  
"It's important you have an heir to ensure your reign, Draco" his father commented on Draco's eyeroll.  
"We've got plenty of time for that." Draco started to walk away but his father stopped him. He dismissed everyone else from the throneroom.  
"No,you don't. There is something I should tell you." The king sounded worried and it caught Draco's attention.  
"Time is something we don't have to spare. I am sick" Draco's eyes grew big.  
"What?" he asked.  
"I know this is a shock, I look perfectly healthy, I know. But I am sick. The healers say I've got no more than a month or two, maybe even less." He explained.  
"I've been taking milk of the poppy to keep me going ,but it won't sustain me for long and I need you to be ready to take over the kingdom." Draco's heart started racing.  
"I'm not ready to be a king" he whispered.  
"You have no choice, soon, you and Hermione will reign together and you'll unite both countries under our name." Draco's head was spinning and he wanted to get out of there. It was stressful enough living in an era you know nothing about, but being king? That was something entirely different. He turned and ran away. As fast as his feet could carry him. He ended up in the gardens and sank down against a tree. King. He was going to be a king. Not just the Slytherin prince, but a king. Actual royalty, with real responsibilities. He tries to catch his breath, but it was racing, like his future was. Plunging ahead. He barely noticed Hermione was running towards him. Her dress in her hands. It was pastel pink and made her look more innocent than she was. She walked over to him and crouched next to him.  
"What is going on? Are you okay?" she asked, grabbing his hand. He shook his head.  
"Calm down, just tell me what's wrong" she continued.  
"The king is dying." He told her. Hermione's eyes grew big.  
"What? He looks fine, how can he be dying?" she asked. He looked at her.  
"He's been drinking milk of the poppy to dull the pain. But he's dying, hasn't got long either" he continued.  
"What? Seriously? Wow, now it all makes sense." She sighed.  
"How so?" he looked at her questioningly.  
"Well, I get why he wanted our marriage so badly now, seeing as how you'll be king soon and you'll need an alliance." He listened to the words coming out of her mouth and realized she was right.  
"I can't do this Granger" he shook his head. "I can't be king. I don't know anything about this country or my soon to be people." Hermione shook her head.  
"I didn't either, Malfoy, but I became queen none the less. And besides, I'd think you'd have more experience than I did, being the Malfoy heir and all." She smiled at him and nudged him in the ribs.  
"It's not the same" he answered, refusing to laugh.  
"You'll be a fine king, and besides, I'll be there every step of the way." He placed his hand on her cheek and kissed her softly.  
"With you by my side, I can do anything" he whispered.  
"Yeah you can" she smiled. She pulled him into her arms and he wrapped his around her. He decided not to tell her about the talk about heirs. For all they knew, she could be pregnant already. Would that be a blessing or a disaster? The entire situation was weird. The Slytherin prince and the Gryffindor princess reigning a kingdom together, and eventually raising an heir. Who'd've thought.

Hermione convinced Draco to spend the rest of the day with the king's advisors, training to become king. The current king had reveled in the idea and had immediately stole Draco away from her. That left Hermione to her own devices so she decided to spend some time with her horse. Rogue was slightly restless today, refusing to stand still and hitting his hooves on the ground.  
"What is up with you today?" she asked the horse as she tried to braid its tail without getting kicked. Rogue kicked his hind legs in protest and Hermione threw her hands in the air.  
"Well then, fine, no braids for you today." She hissed at the horse, which snorted in response. Hermione walked out of the stable and threw the brush in the bucket.  
"Having a bad day?" she turned around to find James in the stables as well, holding the reigns to his horse.  
"I'm having a fine day, Rogue however, is throwing a little tantrum" she spat.  
"Seawind had been acting a little off, too" he commented before walking his horse to its stable. He came out carrying the bridle and saddle a couple minutes later.  
"Maybe there is a storm coming" he commented.  
"Yeah, maybe" Hermione wasn't eager to talk to the guy she kissed in this exact same spot a little while ago.  
"I was going to go riding, but since my horse is acting like a little brat, I think I will reconsider" she finally said to break the awkward silence.  
"Yeah, you wouldn't want to be caught in a storm, anyways" he continued.  
"Alright, well, see you around" she commented before stalking off.  
"Hermione! Wait!" he yelled after her and ran towards her.  
"What?" she asked, rolling her eyes.  
"I wanted to apologize" he started.  
"I'm sorry for acting like a jealous boyfriend and I'm sorry for fighting with our prince" he continued.  
"Yeah well, while you're at it, you might also want to apologize for almost kissing me in the woods" she spat.  
"I won't apologize for being attracted to you. You didn't mind me kissing you in the stables. So why would I apologize for the forest?" he frowned.  
"I have Draco, I don't want you" she hissed.  
"Well, I'm not giving up that easily" he took a step closer to her.  
"I'm married" she whispered.  
"Marriage is nothing but a contract" he whispered, leaning into her. Hermione leaned back, fully ready to find the stable door of Rogue's stable behind her back, but boy, was she wrong. She shrieked when she fell backwards, right into the hay of Rogue's stable. As she lay on her back, Rogue gently nibbling on her hair, James started laughing.  
"How very queenlike of you" he laughed.  
"ha-ha, very funny. Help me up" she reached her hand towards him and he pulled her up. Resulting in her body being thrown against his.  
"I'm not the bad guy in this story, Hermione. Draco is, you'll experience that for yourself soon enough" he whispered, pressing a kiss to her cheek before walking off.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Hermione returned to the castle to find Draco after her weird encounter with James. She wanted to tell him all about the things James said before he could beat her to the punch. She found Malfoy in the library, with a girl. She stopped walking and examined them for a second. The girl was very pretty. Her hair was blonde and sleek and perfect. She was wearing a red dress that fitted her tight body and showed off her cleavage. Her hand was on Draco's arm and she was smiling at him. Hermione frowned and walked towards them. The girl saw her and quickly drew away from Draco.  
"I'm sorry, your grace." The girl made a bow before stalking off.  
"There she is." Draco smiled, wrapping his arms around Hermione. He tried to kiss her but she turned her cheek.  
"Who was that?" she asked. Draco smirked.  
"Jealous?" he asked, smiling.  
"No, just wondering who she was." Hermione wriggled herself out of his arms.  
"That's Lola, she's just a girl that I apparently had sex with before we came here." He explained. She corked an eyebrow.  
"Before we came here?" she repeated.  
"Yes, Hermione, there is nothing going on" he smiled as he grabbed her waist and pulled her towards him.  
"Then why was she here?" she asked.  
"She just wanted to congratulate me on our wedding. Can I get my kiss now?" he shook her a little. Hermione smiled softly and pressed her lips on his. "Did you need me for something?" he asked.  
"What?" she frowned again.  
"You came looking for me for a reason, right?" he asked.  
"Oh, no, I just wanted to see how your meetings went." She started.  
"So you missed me?" he smiled, looking hopeful.  
"Maybe a little." He smirked and pressed kisses all over her face.  
"Well, I've missed you too" he whispered to her.  
"And my meetings went well, I learned a lot" he continued.  
"That's great, Draco!" she smiled.  
"So how about your day?" Hermione started fidgeting.  
"Oh, it was fine, I spent some time with Rogue but he was behaving like a little bitch" she explained.  
"Ah, well, he's a boy and we do tend to act like little bitches." he smiled. Hermione managed a little smile. She felt awfully guilty about not telling him about James. But she didn't like the feeling that Lola girl was giving her. He let go of her hand and took a step back. He reached his hand out to her.  
"Can I walk you to dinner?" he asked She smiled and placed her hand inside his.

After they walked to dinner in silence, they joined the rest of the royal family for dinner. As they were walking back, Draco decided that he needed to get Hermione's attention.  
"Hey, Granger, should I go back to my own room or do you want to sleep together?" he smirked.  
"You don't want to sleep together?" she asked.  
"No, I much rather sleep alone than with a beautiful naked girl in my bed." Sarcasm dripped from his words as he spoke. She turned to him.  
"Oh, okay" she simply answered.  
"Granger, what is going on with you?" he stopped her by grabbing her arm.  
"What? There is nothing going on" she responded, looking slightly taken aback.  
"You are acting odd" he frowned.  
"I'm not, I'm just tired." She smiled. "So take me to bed?" she asked, pressing a kiss on his cheek.  
"You don't need to ask me twice" he smirked before scooping her up in his arms and carrying her to their chambers.

When Hermione woke up the next morning, Draco was no longer next to her. His side of the bed was already cold, so he must have left a while ago. She shivered at the cold and wrapped her blankets around her body. Why would he leave in the morning without telling her? There was a knock on her door not long after that.  
"Your grace, Lord McCarthy from Argon is here to see you" a servant announced. Hermione rose from her bed and wrapped herself in a black silk robe.  
"Send him in" she answered and the old man stood before her mere seconds later.  
"My queen, I need to speak to you about Argon, it's urgent and of the topmost secrecy." The man started. Hermione gestured to the servants to leave her and as soon as the door closed, the man started talking.  
"We, at Argon, believe that there is an assassin here at English court." Hermione frowned.  
"An assassin? Here?" she raised an eyebrow.  
"Yes, my lady, we believe he was one of the men loyal to lord Davenport." McCarthy continued.  
"Lord Davenport is dead" Hermione stated.  
"He is, but his rebellion didn't die with him, there are still those that seek to remove you from the throne." Hermione shook her head.  
"They didn't want to remove me from the throne, they wanted to remove Draco." She corrected.  
"Yes, initially, but now that you are married, the situation has changed. Your Grace, I advise caution, the spy is likely someone close to you or prince Draco as the information we've intercepted was quite accurate." The man continued. Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.  
"I want this rebellion stopped. I want every able man in our kingsguard to look for traitors." She hissed.  
"You are the person I want ruling Argon in my stead, Lord McCarthy. I know you'll serve with loyalty." She stated. The man took a bow and smiled broadly.  
"Return to Argon immediately, and I expect weekly updates on how the search is going. Meanwhile I'll take measures into my own hands here." She decided. The man took a bow and showed himself out. One of the servants entered .  
"I need you to find Draco for me, and send him here. Tell him it's urgent." She ordered. The servant did as she was told. While she was waiting for Draco, Hermione got dressed. Her ladiesmaids assisted her. They were strapping her into the corset that finished her look. The dress was beautiful and silky, flowing to the floor like waves upon a beach.  
"I'm kinda into breathing, could you lighten up on the corset?" she asked her maids. She shrieked when instead of an answer someone pressed his lips to her neck. She twirled around and slapped whomever it was.  
"Oi, hold on you lunatic!" Draco laughed.  
"Draco! Don't scare me like that, I almost had a heart attack." She yelled. He held up his hands in defeat.  
"I'm sorry" he smiled.  
"No, you're not. Anyways, there is something we need to talk about." She waved his apologies away.  
"Alright, let's hear it." Hermione started telling Draco everything that lord McCarthy had told him.  
"What?!" Draco yelled.  
"Granger, you know what this means, don't you? It's definitely James." He stated.  
"What? Why would it be James? He's had plenty of chances to kill me, and he hasn't done anything wrong." She refuted.  
"Yet" he added.  
"Draco" she sighed.  
"What? He's been out to tear us apart from the start!" he continued yelling.  
"Yeah, but there is a difference between trying to get between a couple and trying to kill someone! If we're going down that road, why not Lola? She could be the assassin too, you know" she yelled back.  
"Oh come on, the girl couldn't hurt a fly" Draco threw his hands up.  
"You don't know her." She hissed.  
"And you don't' know James." He threw back. They both were panting and they remained silent for a couple of minutes.  
"Just promise me you'll be careful." Draco finally whispered. Hermione looked up at him.  
"I will be if you are" she responded.  
"Have you met me? No one can hurt me, I'm invincible." He smiled. Hermione shook her head smiling.  
"Prat." He laughed before wrapping her in his arms and pressing a kiss to her lips. Little did they know, that from behind the door, someone was listening to their every word.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

After their conversation, Draco left Hermione to her own devices. He had stuff to do. His father was still giving him a crash course on being king and Draco felt he really needed the help. He would have to be in every single meeting and attend all kingly stuff with his father. It got so boring sometimes and he didn't get to spend as much time with his wife as he would like.

"Are we boring you, son? " the king asked. Draco was shook out of his thoughts, all the people at the table were looking at him as if they expected an answer from him.  
"Ehm, no, no not at all, all very interesting stuff." He quickly stuttered. "Hardly" the king smirked. "Your mind seems to be elsewhere, Draco, so why don't you take the rest of the day off?" Draco didn't have to be told twice. He excused himself and left the room as if it were on fire. He wanted to find Hermione and spend the rest of the day with her. They hadn't had a real date in so long and they were supposed to be making babies. He searched for her in their rooms and the stables. He quickly fed Roach some carrots but Hermione still remained missing.  
"Alright, so where would our queen go if she had some time off?" he asked Roach while patting his nose. The horse snorted and Draco smiled.  
"You're right, our little bookworm would definitely be in the library." He turned on his heel, grabbing a carrot from the pile to snack on. He made his way towards the library quickly, carrot in hand. As he entered, he found Hermione immediately and he walked over to her but stopped in his tracks as he noticed James sitting next to her. They were talking about something. Hermione's back was turned towards Draco but James looked straight at him. He leaned in closer to Hermione and brushed a lock of hair from her face, while his eyes never left Draco's. Hermione quickly turned her head and found Draco standing in the doorway.  
"Hi! Didn't you have meetings all day?" she asked, smiling at him. He walked towards the pair and sat down next to Hermione. He wrapped his arm around her and pressed a kiss on her cheek.  
"They gave me the afternoon off" he smiled. Hermione's attention returned to the book in her lap and Draco's shifted to James. His eyes locked with James' and he brutally bit off a large chunk of carrot.  
"Hermione and I were just reading up on the history of her country" the snake smiled innocently.  
"I can see that, I'll be helping her now, if you don't mind." Draco hissed. Hermione looked up from her book at both boys.  
"Take it easy, guys." She hissed, ending the fight.  
"It's alright, my queen, I'll take my leave." James smiled. He grabbed Hermione's hand and pressed a kiss on it. Draco almost gagged. When James stalked off he turned to Hermione.  
"I hate that guy" he spat.  
"I know you do, just ignore him, he is nothing to us" she answered, pressing a kiss on his lips.  
"He just gets under my skin" he hissed.  
"Don't let him get to you, he's trying to achieve just that." He knew she was right, but what did she expect. He was a Slytherin and they didn't back away. They fought sneaky snakes by being even more sneaky. "I will" he lied. Hermione leaned into him and they continued reading the book together.

A few weeks passed by almost unnoticed. Hermione and Draco spent a lot of time together, when Draco wasn't learning how to be King and Hermione wasn't acting like a queen. They grew closer and closer. Every one could see their relationship blossom, everyone, even their enemies. Things took a turn though when Hermione had an appointment with a doctor on an early Sunday morning. The court physician entered her chambers where she was laying in her bed, a wet cloth pressed to her forehead.  
"My queen." The man bowed and Hermione looked up at him.  
"Thank you for coming to see me" she whispered.  
"I've been feeling dreadful all week." She continued. The man sat down on a chair next to the bed.  
"What have you been feeling?" he asked. Hermione sat up and placed the wet cloth on the nightstand.  
"Well, I've been nauseous every morning for a week. And I can hardly stand the smell of cooked meat. It makes me want to barf." She explained. The physician had a very serious look on his face, but upon hearing Hermione talk about her symptoms, it changed gradually to a look of excitement. He asked her if he could feel her stomach and Hermione complied. After a couple of minutes he seemed satisfied with his examination and he draped the covers over her body.  
"My queen, this is good news!" he exclaimed. Hermione frowned.  
"So I'm not sick?" she asked.  
"No, it's a wonderful blessing, my queen. You are with child." He told her. Hermione's mouth fell open.  
"I'm what?" she stuttered.  
"You are with child." The doctor repeated.  
"But, I can't be" she denied.  
"Well, of course you can." The doctor frowned confused at her.  
"Alright, well, that's just great then, thank you" she quickly stated. She signed to one of her ladies and they ushered the doctor out of the room. He was muttering something about special herbs he would bring by. Hermione got up from her bed. She quickly dressed herself in a simple gold and red gown that flared to the ground like waves.  
"Where is prince Draco today?" she asked.  
"He had a riding lesson" her ladiesmaid responded.  
"fetch me my red coat, will you?" she asked. The girl grabbed the red coat with fur lining along the gigantic hood. Hermione wrapped it around her body and decided to find Draco. It was snowing outside and she had to lift her dress to get to the stables. Draco was inside, grooming his horse to go riding. Hermione walked up to him.  
"Hi" she whispered.  
"Oh, hey!" he smiled, walking over to her. "Are you feeling better?" he asked.  
"Well, not exactly" she started. His smile faded and a worried look overtook his face.  
"What is going on?" he asked, grabbing her hand.  
"Well, I have something to tell you" she started. He remained silent, his eyes fixed on hers. Hermione took a deep breath.  
"You're kinda making me nervous here, Hermione, are you okay? Is it something serious?" he asked.  
"It's serious alright" Hermione responded.  
"Draco, I'm…" she hesitated. "I'm pregnant." She whispered.  
"You're pregnant?" he asked. Hermione bit her lip.  
"I am pregnant" she repeated. Hermione was afraid to look Draco in the eye.  
"I'm so sorry, I don't know how this happened." She whispered again. He grabbed her face in his hand and made her look up at him.  
"Are you kidding? Don't apologize!" he smiled at her.  
"What?" she frowned.  
"This is amazing news!" he shrieked, before grabbing her waist and twirling her around. Hermione smiled at him, surprised at his reaction. He put her down and grabbed her face, pressing his lips to hers. He pressed his forehead against hers. "I am so happy" he whispered.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

The next morning Draco gathered the court for an announcement. Hermione knew what he was going to say and nerves were causing her to feel sick to her stomach. It was either that or an unborn child sitting pretty in her uterus. Either way, she felt like a bag of potatoes. She had dressed in a red dress. The skirt was satin and was tightly tied around her waist. The bodice was red lace and wrapped around her arms and neck. Her hair hung loose with a few braids and atop her head stood a golden crown. Draco was waiting for her outside her door. He wore a red velvet costume with gold accents. They matched perfectly. He smiled broadly and offered his arm. Hermione weaved hers trough it as if it was second nature.  
"Nervous?" he asked as they walked to the grand courtroom.  
"Yeah" she whispered.  
"Well, it's going to be fine. Everybody is going to be so happy, this ensures our reign, you know." Hermione knew he was right. But she felt uneasy none the less. Like there was an axe hanging over her head that could drop at any moment. They stood in front of the huge doors to the courtroom and waited until they were announced.  
"Here we go" he whispered in her ear. They walked in together and the entire courtroom sank down in a unison bow. Hermione wanted to bow with them but Draco held her up. They walked to the front where the king and queen were waiting for them. Draco took his spot and Hermione stayed by his side. He started talking and she just watched him. He looked like he was born to do this, he looked perfect.  
"My subjects, I have magnificent news for you this morning." He started. "Yesterday, I learned that my wife, your future queen and queen of Argon, is with child." He announced. The entire room broke into applause and cheering. Hermione couldn't help but smile. As the room grew quiet again, Draco started talking. "I have another announcement, to ensure that my child will rule this country in the event of my death, I have decided to give my wife the crown matrimony." The crowd started murmuring. The king stood up and ran over to his son.  
"You can't just do this, Draco!" he hissed.  
"I can and I have." Draco held up a document. "All it needs is her signature." He handed Hermione the document. The king signaled the guards that they had to clear out the crowd. As soon as the room was empty, the king grabbed Draco by the collar of his vest.  
"What do you think you're doing?" he hissed.  
"I will not have you abandon Hermione if something happens to me." Draco sounded determined and very sure of himself. He didn't seem fazed at all by the king's outburst.  
"Did you know about this?" he turned towards Hermione. She shook her head.  
"Not at all, I don't even know what it means" she admitted.  
"It means that you will inherit this country if Draco dies. It would unite both your countries" the queen explained. Hermione looked at Draco.  
"Why would you do this?"she asked.  
"Just sign it, please" he pleaded. Hermione placed the document on a nearby table and signed her name next to Draco's at the bottom of the page.  
"I want to do the same for you" she whispered.  
"What?" three heads turned towards her like chickens towards food.  
"I want you to be in control of my country if I were to die." She continued.  
"Are you sure? You are already a queen, it could put a target on your head." Draco whispered. The king let go of his son.  
"Queen Hermione, that would be a great idea" the king walked towards her.  
"I'm not doing it for you" she hissed. "I wouldn't trust you with one square centimeter of my country. I'm doing it for Draco and for my son." She continued. Draco stood still, unable to do anything else. Hermione turned to the king.  
"I need my advisors." She ordered. The king rushed out of the room to fetch her advisors. Draco took the opportunity to walk towards his wife and grab her hands.  
"Are you sure about this, Hermione?" he whispered.  
"Yes" she smiled at him and pressed a kiss on his lips. "It's not about us anymore, there is someone else we need to think about. I want my baby to grow up safe, even if it's without me." She continued. Draco nodded. A few minutes later the advisor arrived, started opposing Hermione's proposal and eventually concede when he realized she was more stubborn than a donkey. The two documents were displayed on the table, the autographs still drying. Hermione and Draco stood before the table, their hands intertwined. The rest of the room just looked at them, nobody dared speak, for the tension in the room could be cut with a knife.  
"We did this" she whispered.  
"We sure did." He answered.  
"People are going to be so mad." She uttered.  
"They were already mad, so it won't matter." Draco wrapped his arms around his wife.  
"I have a bad feeling." Hermione whispered.  
"You always have a bad feeling" he pressed his lips to hers.

Hermione no longer felt at home at the castle. It was as if a dark cloud settled on the entire kingdom, suffocating everyone in its path. The king took a turn for the worse. He was bed ridden and no longer appeared in the throne room or the council. Draco had taken over almost everything, which took him away from Hermione most days. She spent most her days in the library or with Rogue, even though she wasn't allowed to ride him anymore on the event that there was a tiny human feeding off her body. But that couldn't keep her away from the wonderful smell of the stables. She had wrapped herself in a warm burgundy coat, the temperature had been dropping and snow was starting to stick to the ground.  
"Hey there buddy" she whispered as Rogue pressed his nose against her neck. She took him out of his stable and tied him to a pole in the courtyard. The horse whinnied softly.  
"I know, I want to go out too, but we can't " she padded him on the neck and grabbed her tools. Carefully drawing circles and getting rid of all the dirt in his coat.  
"Still insisting on taking care of him yourself, I see" Hermione turned to look at the origin of the sound. James was standing there in his riding gear.  
"Yup" she shortly replied. He walked over to her and padded Rogue on the back. The horse responded by nervously scraping its hoof on the cobblestoned.  
"He seems agitated" he noticed.  
"Not before you showed up" Hermione responded.  
"He probably just wants to go riding" James continued as if she hadn't said anything.  
"I could ride him for you."  
"What?" Hermione stopped brushing Rogue to look at James.  
"I could take him for a ride, seeing as how you can't" he rephrased.  
"That's not necessary, I've got the stableboys handling that." She replied.  
"You should probably have them handle his care as well." Hermione looked at the boy standing in front of her. He took the liberty of pressing his hand against her stomach.  
"One small kick from this boy could damage that precious cargo you're carrying." He smirked. "And we wouldn't want that, would we?" Hermione slapped his hand away and turned her attention to Rogue.  
"We're fine, I don't need your help. Now, you should just get going and take care of your own business." She heard him leave. Rogue shook his head.  
"I know, I don't like him either" she whispered to the horse. Suddenly, two arms snaked around her waist. Hermione reacted out of instinct and jammed her elbow in the ribs of the person standing behind her. He let go and she heard coughing, turning around.  
"Oh my god! I'm so sorry" she shrieked. In front of her was none other than Draco.  
"What the hell, Hermione" he managed to cough out.  
"I'm sorry" she shrieked again. He regained his composure. "I thought you were James" she explained.  
"Well, I've learned my lesson, I'll announce myself the next time" he still sounded a little hoarse. Hermione threw her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss on his lips.  
"What are you doing here anyway?" she asked.  
"What? I can't come and see my wife?" he corked his eyebrow. She smiled at him.  
"Sure you can."  
"Hold on a minute, why did you think I was James?" he asked.  
"Oh, he just was here a second ago, bugging me about Rogue and telling me I shouldn't be near horses because of the baby" she explained. Draco nodded.  
"Well, I can't say that I'm disappointed in the way you reacted then" he smirked.  
"I can take care of myself, you know" she raised her nose.  
"I know you can but I had something made for you anyway" he pressed a box in her hands. The box was beautiful. It was made of a dark wood which was almost black. Around it were silver leaves and on top of the box sat a snake, curled up in a ball.  
"You made me a box?" she asked.  
"Brightest witch of her age, I think not" he sighed. He opened the box and inside it, laying on the emerald velvet was a bracelet. The bracelet was a snake that curled around. It's eyes were emeralds and the body was silver.  
"It's beautiful" Hermione whispered. Draco took the bracelet out of the box and grabbed Hermione's hand. He placed it on her wrist and it fit her perfectly. Just snug enough so that it wouldn't fall off but not too snug that it would make her hand fall off.  
"Promise me you'll wear it always" he held her hand in his.  
"I will" she answered.  
"No, Hermione, look" Hermione looked back at his hands. He grabbed the head of the snake and yanked it from the bracelet. On the end of the head stuck a blade.  
"It's a weapon?" she asked.  
"Yes, no one knows about this, so it will be our secret. Keep it with you always." He put the blade back in its place and squeezed her hand.  
"Promise me" he insisted. Hermione looked at her husband. His eyes were stormy and bore right into her soul.  
"I promise" she whispered. Draco smiled a little and pressed another kiss on her lips.


	20. Chapter 20

**Here is another chapter for you guys! I have two more lined up and writing every day. I found some new inspiration to start writing again and I finally figured out how I'm going to get from point A to B in my story!**

 **Please review if you liked the chaper or if you have some advice for me!**

Chapter 20

It was in the middle of the night when Hermione and Draco were awoken from their slumber by a maid.  
"My lord, it's the king, come quickly" she ushered. Draco jumped out of his bed and threw on a coat. Hermione did the same. She grabbed black dressing robes and threw them over her white nightgown. Draco grabbed her hand and they ran after the maid. They reached the king's bedchambers and the doctor and queen were waiting for them.  
"What's going on?" Draco asked, gasping for air. The doctor shook his head.  
"I'm sorry, this is the moment we've been preparing for." Draco squeezed Hermione's hand. The queen started sobbing and threw herself in Draco's arms.  
"He's been asking for the both of you" the doctor resumed. Draco untangled himself from his mother and lead Hermione into the room. The king was laying in bed, looking frail and weak.  
"Ah, my son, you're here" he started. He was interrupted by coughing. Draco rushed to the king's bedside.  
"I'm here, just like you asked." he softly whispered. The king grabbed Draco's hand.  
"I know I've been hard on you, but it's just because I want you to be ready for this" he explained. Draco nodded.  
"I am, you've prepared me well" he whispered. The king reached his hand out to Hermione and she stepped closer.  
"You are so beautiful" he whispered while grabbing a lock of her hair.  
"He will need you, I know you'll be a great queen" Hermione blushed.  
"I promise that I'll support him." She answered.  
"You will be queen of two countries now and both need your love and attention. Please, don't let us down" the king whispered. He turned his attention to Draco.  
"I'm so happy to have seen you grow into the man you've become. I'm proud of you, son. You'll make a great father and a good king." Draco bit his lip and nodded.  
"Thank you" he breathed. The king smiled at his son for a second before his eyes closed. His face relaxed and one final breath escaped his lips. It was over. Hermione looked at Draco. His eyes were fixed on the lifeless body of the ruler that was his father in this universe. She walked over to him and pulled him into her arms.  
"I'm sorry" she whispered. Draco wrapped his arms around her body and pressed his face into her hair. Outside, the queen was wailing. Hermione heard someone yell. "  
The king is dead, long live the King!"

The next couple of days were a blur for Draco. There were meetings, there was a funeral and they had a coronation. Hermione was by his side for every part. She knew how this felt. He was losing someone he never really knew, but still. In some ways he lost a father.  
"How are you doing?" she asked him when they were laying in bed.  
"I'm not sure, overwhelmed?" he looked at her.  
"I know" she answered.  
"Thank you for standing by me through all of this" he brushed his hand against her cheek.  
"Where else would I be?" she answered.  
"Who would've thought that the Gryffindor princess and the Slytherin prince would eventually turn into a king and queen" he laughed. Hermione smiled.  
"Well, no one at home, that's for sure."  
"Do you miss it?" he asked.  
"Miss what?"  
"Home". Hermione bit her lip.  
"Sometimes" she answered honestly.  
"Me too, sometimes" he pulled her into his arms and kissed her softly.  
"But I wouldn't trade you for anything in the world." Hermione smiled and placed her head on his chest. They were both happy in eachother's arms. They knew little about the axe that was looming over their heads.

The next morning, Hermione woke up by herself. The place where Draco was supposed to be was cold, indicating he had been gone for a while. She put on a yellow dress, with lace on her midriff showing some skin. The fabric was satin and flowed to the ground in beautiful golden waves. She let her hair hang loose, with a golden crown on her head. She decided to head off to the library, where she could do some more reading and researching. A little while ago she found a part of the library dedicated to witchcraft and magic. Granted, a lot of it was complete malarkey, but some of it might help them get their magic back. She quickly made her way through the cold castle corridors, regretting bringing no coat. Luckily, the library would be warm, and she could ask one of the servants to bring her a coat later. She felt relief when the big wooden doors of the library came closer and carefully pushed one open. The heat engulfed her immediately. There was no one inside, which only made her happier. She sat down in an hidden alcove with a big leatherbound book on magic spells and started reading. The fire was cracking happily. Hermione looked at the window, it was snowing outside. People were saying it would be a harsh winter. The entire kingdom was already coated by a white fluffy blanket.  
Hermione had been reading for a couple of hours when she heard someone enter. She didn't pay them any mind, seeing as she liked to be left alone herself and people tended to fuss over her. There appeared to be a man and a woman in the room. They were talking in quiet voices and something peaked Hermione's interest.  
"I don't feel well" she heard Draco's voice as clear as day. Draco was here? Hermione got up from her seat and walked over to the voices. They were sitting in front of the fire, their backs towards her. Hermione peaked from behind the bookcase, seeing the blonde hair that no doubt belonged to Lola. As she stepped from behind the bookcase, she saw Lola plant her lips firm on Draco's. Hermione's mouth fell open and she waited for him to do something, push her off, slap her even. But he didn't do anything. He just sat there, and it even looked like he enjoyed it. Hermione felt tears sting her eyes. She ran off, slamming the door behind her. She didn't wait to see if someone came after her, or if someone called for her, she just ran. Her feet carried her outside of the castle, to the stables, where she collapsed in Rogue's stable. She just started crying in the hay, her hands over her face. She felt Rogue's nose pressed against her cheek, but she didn't even care.  
"Your grace?" she heard a voice and looked up. James was standing in the doorway. "Your grace, what's happened?" he asked, kneeling next to her. Hermione couldn't talk, she just gasped a couple of words.  
"Draco ….. Lola ….. kiss." James looked at her.  
"You saw?" he asked. Hermione frowned.  
"What?" she asked.  
"It's been going on for a while" he explained.  
"The king has everyone under orders to keep it from you" he continued.  
"He…. what?" she asked again.  
"I'm so sorry, Hermione" he whispered. Hermione's head was spinning. How could he do such a thing? She had seen them together, sure. But he promised there was nothing going on.  
"What can I do to help?" he asked.  
"Do you have a place where I could stay?" she asked. James nodded.  
"My chateau is a couple of miles away" he answered.  
"Take me there."  
It took her only minutes to saddle Rogue and climb on top. James saddled seawind and joined her in the courtyard, he threw his coat over her and Hermione drew the hood up. Suddenly, Hermione heard someone call her name and she looked back. Draco was running towards her, screaming her name. Hermione dug her heels in Rogue's sides and the horse galloped down the road, James followed. Draco ran after them until he realized it was futile. He sank to his knees in the white snow, sobbing.


	21. Chapter 21

"I actually did this" she whispered sitting in front of the roaring fire. James had brought her to his castle and she had been sitting there for a little while. He handed her a mug filled with hot soup.  
"I actually ran from the castle and left my husband, while I am pregnant with a baby" she continued. "I could be the star of a soapopera" she sighed. James corked his eyebrow.  
"The star of what?" he asked.  
"Nevermind."  
"It will be alright, Hermione, lots of kings and queens live separate lives" he started.  
"You could go back to Argon, I'll come with you. I promise, I'll take care of you and your baby" Hermione pressed her palm against her stomach.  
"Oh my god, my baby" she whispered. The room grew quiet while Hermione sipped her soup.  
"I can't believe he did this" she finally said.  
"Lots of kings have mistresses" James explained.  
"Well, I'm not having it. I don't do infidelity, and I don't want my husband to have a mistress. Call me old-fashioned." She stood from her sofa and started walking around.  
"Will he find me here?" she asked, looking out of the window.  
"Probably" James walked over to her.  
"I could hide you" he continued. Hermione shook her head.  
"No, I have to confront him. If I disappear, he will get my crown, I signed it away" she whispered. James grabbed her hand.  
"I would never have done this to you" he whispered. Hermione looked at him. He was still as beautiful as the day she met him. So different from Draco. They were night and day. She remembered their first kiss. It was lovely and passionate and if Draco hadn't been in the picture, she probably would have married this man. James pressed his hand against her cheek.  
"I would never have" he repeated. He made his move and Hermione turned her head. His lips landed on her cheek.  
"I understand you need time, but I will be there for you, whatever you need" he whispered before walking out. Hermione looked out the window where a snowstorm was blocking her view. There was no was the kingsguards would come find her in this storm. She would be safe for tonight, here.

Hermione spent the night in the biggest room James' chateau had. He slept in the guestroom. Although she hardly slept. She missed Draco, she missed home. The next morning there was a knock on the door. Hermione wrapped herself in blankets and opened the door. James was standing outside her room. He handed her a dress.  
"I found this, it must've belonged to my sister" he explained.  
"It's about your size, I believe and you'll need something to wear." Hermione nodded.  
"Thank you" she whispered before closing the door again. The dress was simpler than she usually wore but it was beautiful none the less. It was a strange iridescent color that seemed to take different colors depending on the light. It was an off-shoulder dress that had loose sleeves. The dress was centered around her waist. She tied her hair in a messy bun, letting a few strands escape and frame her face. When she came down, breakfast was on the table in the dining room.  
"You didn't have to cook for me" she took a seat at the table.  
"You need breakfast, you're feeding another human" he simply stated before placing a plate filled with food before her. Hermione thanked him before digging into her food. She wasn't hungry, so she spent most of the meal just shoving the food around on her plate.  
"Have you reached a decision?" he asked. Hermione shook her head. £"I don't know what to do" she admitted.  
"We could just go back to Argon. People love you there" he advised. "And when the baby's born, you could maybe get a divorce, even though the Catholic church wouldn't condone it" he continued.  
"But what will happen to my child?" she asked.  
"Any title he had in England would be taken from him, but he would still be your son. He would still be the crown prince of Argon." Hermione sipped her water. "And after a while, you could maybe remarry?" he quietly added.  
"Why are you being so nice to me?" she suddenly asked. James looked at her.  
"When have I not been nice to you?" he sounded offended.  
"When you threatened my husband and unborn child not too long ago." He looked away.  
"I've only ever loved you" he answered. Hermione didn't answer. She didn't know if he was being honest, but right now, he was the only one helping her. "The storm dissipated" James noted. Hermione nodded. "They'll come for me soon enough." She knew it would happen. Draco would come and find her and he would tell her he never really loved her. He would tell her she was still the filthy mudblood he knew in Hogwarts and that all the time they had spent together here was a lie. She didn't know if she was ready for it. She stood to once more look out the window. She pressed her hand against her stomach again. Whatever Draco did, what was growing inside her was part of both of them. She wouldn't be so cruel to rob a child from his father, would she?  
"You need to decide, Hermione, am I taking you to Argon?" James asked. Hermione bit her lip and a tear spilled over her cheek.  
"I don't know" she sobbed. James walked over to her and pulled her into an embrace. Hermione didn't fight it, she welcomed the feeling.  
"Please, just let me take you away from here. Everything will be better, I can promise you that." He whispered in her hair. Hermione closed her eyes. Was she going to go with him and leave everything behind? Maybe she could get back to Hogwarts on her own and leave Draco here to rot. No. She would never leave someone behind, however vile they were. He pushed her from him so he could look at her. He grabbed her face in his hands and his thumb wiped away the tears that were rolling down her cheeks.  
"Please, Hermione, I'll love you for the rest of my life and I'll love only you" he whispered. Hermione opened her eyes and looked into James' bright blue eyes. She bit her lip again. He was saying all the right things and acting the right way. He was doing everything right. He brought his lips to hers, she could feel his breath on her skin. They were inches apart when a knock sounded on the door. Both ripped from the moment, they broke away from each other. James walked towards the hallway and Hermione heard him open the door. "Where is she?" she heard Draco hiss.  
"I'm sorry, your grace, I don't know what you are talking about" James lied. Hermione stood frozen in the dining room.  
"Get out of my way, you slimy worm, I know you took her." Draco hissed. Hermione heard a ruckus and minutes later, Draco barged into the dining room.  
"Hermione" he breathed, looking at her directly. He made his way over to her, his hands reaching for her. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" he asked. But Hermione shied away from him. Draco stopped walking and looked hurt.  
"I'm alright" she whispered.  
"Hermione please, let me explain" Draco pleaded. At that moment James entered the room. He walked over to Hermione and took his place next to her.  
"I think your actions explained enough" Hermione heard him speak.  
"Stay out of this, you rat." Draco spat.  
"You took her the second you realized you could" he continued.  
"I didn't force her to come with me, she asked me to take her away from you." James smirked. Draco turned his attention to Hermione.  
"Please, please, let me explain, let me talk to you alone. I won't hurt you, you know that." He pleaded. Hermione looked down.  
"Okay, but you only get a couple of minutes, then I'm leaving" she spoke softly. She turned to James.  
"Leave us for a little while" she commanded. James nodded and pressed a kiss on the back of her hand before walking out of the room. The room grew quiet for a second. Draco took a deep breath before speaking. "I had Lola arrested" he finally said. Hermione looked up at him.  
"What?" she frowned.  
"I had her arrested because she drugged me" he continued.  
"Good god, Draco, you're really going to use that excuse? I didn't know what I was doing because she drugged me?" Hermione laughed out of anger .  
"Hermione please" he took a step in her direction.  
"What?" she bit. Draco took another step closer and pressed his finger to his lips, beckoning her to be quiet. Hermione furrowed her brow.  
"We have evidence. She still had the poison on her" he whispered. "Hermione, she was working with someone to cause problems and to get you to fall into someone elses hands" he continued.  
"Why are you whispering?" she whispered. He took another step.  
"I didn't cheat on you, I didn't want to kiss Lola. She drugged me, and James is in on it" he whispered.  
"What? That's ridiculous. James helped me. He's been nothing but nice since he found me crying my eyes out in the stables" she hissed.  
"How convenient. He threatened you not two days ago. Are you really this naïve?" Draco asked. Hermione hesitated. "Please, just leave with me. I promise I can prove all of this to you, and if you're still not convinced you can leave with James. I swear I'll let you go" he grabbed her hand. Hermione bit her lip. She looked at the man standing in front of her. His stormy grey eyes pleading her to trust him. Her head was screaming at her to run as fast as she could but her heart sung a different tune. She shook her head lightly. She was a Gryffindor after all.  
"Alright" she whispered, barely audible. Draco smiled at her and pressed a kiss on her cheek. He threw his coat around her shoulders.  
"We need to leave, right now" he whispered. He let go of her hand and walked over to the window. He unlatched it and jumped out. He reached for Hermione. She hesitated for a second but grabbed his hand anyways. He pulled her out and dragged her behind him as they ran through the snow.  
"Why are we running? Didn't you bring your guard?" she yelled at him.  
"I told them to come but I left in a hurry" he explained. He held onto her hand until they reached the road, where Draco had left his carriage. The small path to James' chateau wasn't accessible to carriages because of the snow. He helped her get into the carriage and took the driver's seat. Hermione heard him slap the reigns and the horses started galloping.

After a little while, they arrived at the castle. Several people came running up to the carriage and a lot of people fussed over Hermione. Her dress was wet at the bottom and she was only wearing a thin coat. Draco jumped from his seat and took his spot next to her.  
"I'm fine" she slapped the eager hands away . "Take me to Lola" she ordered.  
"You should first warm up and put on some dry clothes" Draco protested.  
"Take. Me. To. Her." She insisted. Draco nodded, knowing how stubborn his queen was. The king's guard escorted them to the dungeons where Hermione was shown a cell. Inside of it was a young woman. "Leave me with her" she ordered. Draco reluctantly agreed. The girl bowed to her queen.  
"I need you to tell me what happened" Hermione asked. The girl hesitated. "Tell me the truth and I will help you" Hermione repeated. The girl started sobbing.  
"I'm so sorry" she managed to get out. Hermione grabbed the girl's hands.  
"Tell me what happened" she repeated.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry it's been so long. I had a lot to deal with this year. I'm back at it and I have a whole lot planned for this story. So here you go!**

Chapter 22

Hermione emerged after a while, looking slightly confused and overwhelmed.  
"Well?" Draco asked, quickly covering the space between them. She sighed softly, dipping her head.  
"I can't believe myself, brightest witch of my age, sure," Draco smiled at her confession.  
"Don't be too hard on yourself, Granger, everything is different here." He wrapped his arms around her frame, hugging her cold body against his.  
"Let's get you out of those wet clothes," his hand rested on the small of her back as he pushed her out of the dark and musty hallway. She turned her head, looking at the guards.  
"Treat her with respect, don't you dare hurt her." she insisted.

After being bathed and warmed up by her maids, Hermione emerged in the throne room in a satin off shoulder red dress. Her golden crown sitting atop her perfectly styled hair. Draco smiled at her and beckoned for her to take her rightful place next to him. The dark wooden throne creaked as she sat down.  
"This world might even be more complicated than the one back home," she whispered at him.  
"You might be right about that." He smirked, reaching his hand and grabbing hers. Hermione remained quiet when his guard finally entered, looking slightly frozen from being out in the woods for so long.  
"Did you get him?" he asked. The men bowed their heads.  
"I'm sorry, my lord, he was gone before we arrived." Draco cursed under his breath.  
"Find him and bring him to me alive," he ordered. The men nodded and left the room. Hermione looked at her husband, he looked slightly worried.  
"He'll come for you," he finally spoke as he looked at her.  
"He won't get me," she squeezed his hand reassuringly.  
"I am Hermione Granger, you know, I know how to throw a punch," he smiled at the memory. She sure did. He remembered his nose hurting for months after she had hit him with her right hook.  
"I know you do," he tried to sound sure, to reassure her as she did him, but he was afraid for her. He was afraid for the both of them.

After a week, they both started to let their guard down. If he hadn't tried anything by now, maybe he wouldn't at all.  
"Can we go for walk in the gardens today? It stopped snowing and I love the feel of fresh snow underneath my feet." Draco looked at his wife. He had a million things to do today and so did she, there were so many reasons not to go for a walk. But taking her out into the snowy white garden seemed way more fun than everything else.  
"Of course we can," he smiled as he grabbed her hands, gently brushing his thumb over the lacy fabric that reached down her hands. He pressed a kiss on her lips, "get your coat and we'll go right away." Hermione smiled broadly and let go of his hands. She wrapped herself in a fur coat before grabbing his hand once more. They made it outside without someone disturbing them. Draco had ordered everyone to let them be for the day, seeing they both needed a day off. Ruling nations was rather taxing on a person. The gardens were beautiful. The snow had been left untouched and there were no footsteps in the white blanket. The trees seemed to be groaning under the weight of the winter and the air was that beautiful grey colour it had before another snowstorm would hit. As they walked, the snow crisped underneath their feet.  
"This is so beautiful," Hermione whispered.  
"Yeah," Draco agreed. "You know," he started, stalling. He grabbed both her hand and made her look at him, his hand reaching up and caressing her cheek. "I don't think I ever want to go back." He finally let it slip. Hermione didn't react, she just stared at him. "Oh, but you do," he spoke after a little while of her remaining silent. She didn't speak, she just smiled at him, her pearly whites joining with the white of the snow. He frowned. Was she laughing at him? Was this all a joke to her.  
"I know what you mean," she finally whispered, grabbing hold of the back of his neck and planting a firm kiss on his lips. He smiled as he melted into the kiss. His hands reaching her waist and pulling her closer. He felt her tongue run over his bottom lip and gladly opened his mouth to meet her. His hands grabbed her face and he pushed her off him just enough to be able to look her in the eyes.  
"Hermione," he whispered, mustering the courage to tell her what he had wanted to tell her for a while now. Her golden brown eyes were searching his for clues. He smiled softly at her. "Granger, I lo…" He never got to finish that sentence. Everything seemed to pause the moment he spoke. A stabbing pain went through his body and he knew, right that second, that this was it. This was death.

Hermione watched Draco's eyes grow big, an expression of agony appearing on his face. It was only then she noticed someone standing behind them. Draco let go of her, his hands grasping at the sword thrusted through his abdomen. Blood was leaking, covering the white snow in burgundy. Hermione grabbed him as he fell.  
"No no no, please." Draco looked up at her, gasping and moaning. Hermione pressed her hands to the wound but found herself being ripped from him by the hands of her attacker. He pulled her from him, Draco's hand reaching out for her. She screamed, struggled against the iron grip. She heard Draco call out to her in a muffled shriek. It was then she remembered the dagger. The attacker grabbed her shoulders and righted her. She could finally look upon his face, his blue eyes so familiar.  
"You'll finally be mine now, you're finally free." He smiled at her, a wicked smile of a man who lost all touch of gentleness and compassion. Hermione didn't waste any time.  
"I'll never be yours," she hissed as she grabbed the dagger and thrust it into his throat. His eyes grew big and he staggered away from her, only to collapse a few feet further. Hermione rushed to Draco's side. He was whispering her name ever so soflty.  
"It's okay, I'm here," she pressed her hands against the gaping wound, blood rushing through her fingers.  
"Help, please, somebody help us." She screamed as loudly as she could. She was panicking, she couldn't heal him, there was nothing she could do and he was slipping. He looked at her and his bloody hand reached out, grabbing her face. He forced her to quiet down and look at him.  
"Hermione," he whispered, feeling the blood block his throat. He wiped the tears from her cheek. "Shh, don't speak, you'll be okay. we'll be okay," she was talking really fast, her nimble hands working on his body.  
"Hermione, look at me," he whispered. His grey eyes found her ember ones and he felt that familiar feeling in his heart. "I'm dying," he whispered. When she started crying and protesting, he silenced her once again. "Listen to me, you're strong, you can do this. You can go home now," he urged. She shook her head.  
"I can't," she cried, her tears mixing with the blood, "you are my home." He smiled softly, coughing up blood.  
"I love you," he whispered. She looked at him, growing quiet for a second. "I love you," he repeated. She pressed her lips on his, coating hers with blood.  
"I love you too," she whispered against his lips. The last thing he felt was her breath against his lips and her tears on his cheek. She cried as he slipped away, holding on to him for dear life, praying for some miracle that would never come.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Hey guys, I felt like posting another chapter, so there you go! I would really appreciate a review so I know what you guys are thinking. I'm still on the fence about the direction this story is going and your input would really help me!**

Chapter 23

When help finally arrived, lured in by the screaming, they found two bodies, laying in the blood soaked snow. They found their queen, clutching at their king's chest, her body shaking with every sob. They whispered to her as they tried to get her to let go of his body, but she blatantly refused. Help finally came from an unexpected corner. It was the queen mother that came rushing to the garden, gasping as she saw her son laying on the carpet of soft sank down next to Hermione, a hand resting on Draco's chest.  
"Hermione," she whispered softly, as soft as she ever had heard the woman speak. "Hermione, he's gone, we have to let them take him," she stated, blinking away the tears that stung her eyes. The girl shook her head, grasping the fabric of his shirt and combing her fingers through his white hair. "Hermione," the older woman whispered again, letting go of her son to turn Hermione's face towards her. "Let go," she whispered. Her hand grabbed the back of the girl's neck and pulled it against her. She wrapped her arms around her tiny frame and nodded to the guards. They took his body as she held onto the crying girl in her arms.  
"My queen, what about the other body?" one of the guards asked.  
"Burn it," Hermione hissed in between sobs. "Burn it and don't give him a funeral. Bury the ashes on a crossroads." She remembered that someone once told her that was what they did to people who would go to hell. She wanted him to be in hell, she wanted him to suffer for what he did.  
The queen pulled her to her feet as soon as Draco's body was out of sight. She looked terrible, her face, hands and dress covered in blood. The queen mother beckoned for Hermione's ladies maid to come over. Anna looked at both queens and bowed her head.  
"Take the queen to her chambers and give her a bath. I'll call the physician for something calming and be there in a while." Hermione felt the girl wrap her arms around her and gently guide her from the gardens, where a large bloodstain remained painted on the ground.

The entire day, or maybe even week went by without Hermione noticing. She remembered having a bath and eating. She didn't remember sleeping, but apparently that's what she did. When she finally woke up from the daze, she was told that she had slept for days, on and off.  
"What day is it?" she whispered, asking the woman who brought her food.  
"It's the day of the funeral, my lady, they'll come and help you get ready in a second." Hermione bit her lip, she had forgotten. For a second, she had forgotten that he was gone, she had forgotten that he had left her all alone here. She had forgotten that she would never see her again. She was shaken from her thoughts when she felt something odd in her belly. She felt worry overtake her and pressed her hand against her stomach.  
"Something is wrong," she insisted, looking at the maid.  
"What is it, my lady?" the woman asked, seemingly sharing her worry.  
"I don't know, there is a weird feeling going on." Hermione grabbed the woman's hand and pressed it against her belly. The woman waited for a second before smiling broadly.  
"This isn't bad, my queen, it's very good," she smiled. Hermione insisted on more answers. "Your baby is kicking," she explained. Hermione gasped and pressed a hand to her mouth. The woman grabbed her hand and pressed it against her belly again, leaving the room. Hermione cried quietly as she felt her baby kick against her hand. Draco's baby, their baby. He would never get to feel this, he would never get to meet him or her.  
"Hey there, little baby," she sobbed softly. "I know it's bad right now, but I'll protect you." After a while, the baby calmed down as she kept talking to it. Anna came in.  
"Are you okay, my queen?" Hermione nodded.  
"The baby was kicking," she explained.  
"That's good news," Anna helped Hermione get up. "Let's get you ready for the funeral." Hermione nodded, not looking forward to it at all. The girl dressed her into a simple black dress that hugged her frame but flared out at the bottom. The dress had a turtleneck collar that clung to her skin tightly. The girl tied her hair in a loose braid and placed a black veil over her face and head. The veil reached down to the floor in the back and then some. The finishing touch was her crown which was placed on her head and atop the veil.  
"Are you ready, my queen?" she asked.  
"I'll never be ready for this."

They walked to the courtyard where the carriage with the coffin was waiting. It was dressed in a beautiful velvet black fabric and there were roses atop it. Hermione walked over to the coffin and everybody bowed to her. The queen mother was standing on the sidelines. Hermione placed her hand on the coffin and she felt tears fall from her eyes.  
"I love you," she whispered against the wood. "I'll always love you." A man came to tell her to get into a carriage but she shook her head. "Bring me Rogue," she whispered. When others protested the queen mother made them shut up. "I'll protect our child, I promise." She pressed her hand against her belly. "I'll tell him about you, I'll tell him how kind and sweet you were and how much you loved him before he was even born." Tears were rolling down her cheeks. "I'll be strong for him and I will find you again." A servant brought her Rogue and Hermione lifted herself into the saddle. She dug her heels in the horse's sides and both she and the carriage jolted into movement, towards the cemetery where he would rest for the rest of time.

Draco awoke with a start, sitting up in his bed. His body coated in sweat. He was alive. His hands searched his abdomen for a wound or at least a healing one but he found nothing but a faint white scar that could be overlooked if you didn't know it was there. Had he been dreaming. He looked to the side to find Hermione but came up empty handed. There was no other side to his bed and there was no girl there. He found green velvet curtains around his bed and cast them aside. The room was dark but he would recognize it anywhere. He was back, somehow he had gotten back. Blaise was snoring next to him and there were several other boys stirring a little while further. How did he get back? What had happened between now and when they went back in time?

The next morning, he followed suit. His friend talking to him about classes and Potter and Pansy. They were talking to him about everything and nothing while walking to the great hall for breakfast. He wasn't listening. None of it seemed real, it seemed foreign and he felt like he wasn't supposed to be here.  
"How are your parents?" Blaise asked his friend, catching Draco's attention. He hadn't thought about them for so long.  
"I don't know," he answered honestly.  
"You're acting odd, you sure you're feeling alright?" he asked. "Perfectly fine," he answered. As they entered the great hall, he immediately looked for her at the Gryffindor table. Desperately trying to find her unruly head of hair. She wasn't there, none of them were. Potter and Weasel were nowhere to be found and even the Weaselette seemed to be missing.  
"Huh, looks like the golden trio is still missing," Blaise smirked. Draco's stomach twisted.  
"What do you mean?" he asked his friend, hoping he could hide the worried look in his eyes.  
"Don't you remember? Weaselbee was poisoned so they're holed up in the infirmary," his friend looked at him funny.  
"Oh right, that," Draco tried to sound as calm as he could. She was here, she was fine and he would see her again.  
"I forgot something in our dorm, be back in a sec," he turned and left a confused looking Blaise behind.

Draco rushed to the hospital wing, where he would find her. His heart was racing and his feet carried him as fast as they possibly could. He was pretty sure he almost ran over McGonagall in the process but he was too occupied to care. He arrived minutes later and jumped into an alcove when he heard the doors open. Potter and the Weaselette came out, looking rather dreadful.  
"Don't worry, Hermione will take good care of him," Potter whispered to his friend.  
"I know she will," Draco's heart seemed to grow bigger when they mentioned her name. She was in there, the woman he loved was in there and she was fine. He was fine, from this day on everything would be so different. He waited for Potter to round the corned before throwing the doors open. He found her sitting at the Weasel's side, her hands clutching at his.  
"Granger," he whispered. She jumped at the sound of her name and turned towards him.  
"Malfoy?" she asked, standing still and looking at him. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. For a second he thought everything was fine, that was until she started fighting against him. Her tiny frame struggling against his grip. When he finally let her go, her hand collided with his cheek, filling the room with a slapping sound.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

 **Please review, guys!**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Special thanks to AYNATT for reviewing! I'm so glad you like my story!**

Chapter 24

He shied away from her, the anger in her eyes bright enough to burn him. "I was just…" he couldn't explain this to her. What could he possibly say? _I was just going to kiss you because I love you._ Clearly she didn't remember.  
"You don't remember?" he asked, his voice barely audible.  
"Remember what?" she asked, one eyebrow raised. He couldn't answer that question either. He just stood there, like an absolute idiot, looking at her. Every fiber in his body wanted to grab her and hold on to her until she remembered. He wanted to tell her he loved her over and over until she finally understood, but knowing Hermione Granger, that seemed a bad idea.  
"How is he doing?" he finally asked, gesturing towards the redhead still passed out in the bed.  
"You're asking me about Ron? Why the sudden interest, Malfoy? Worried someone will point a finger at you?" she spat. The amount of venom in her voice made him shudder. There was no warmth, no sign that she remembered anything about the past few months. "Get out of here, Malfoy, no one wants you here. I sure as hell don't," she turned from him and grabbed Rons hands, pressing them against her lips. He felt his heart break inside his chest. He felt the breath being stolen from his lungs. The way she was holding his hands, the was she was whispering against him. The warmth in her eyes, the love. He remembered when she looked at him that way. But seeing her, sitting there with the Weasel, he felt like that belonged in the past and this was the present. He'd rather take ten more swords to the gut, the pain would still not compare to this one.

Without Hermione, Draco felt empty. He felt like he had nothing to live for anymore. Maybe this was what the prophecy meant. It had changed his past, it never spoke of his present. He decided to turn all his attention to fixing the vanishing cabinet. He needed to keep busy and the cabinet kept him plenty busy. If he wasn't in the room of Requirement, he spent his hours looking at Granger when he thought she wasn't looking. She spent a lot of time in the library, where he hid in the shadows, carefully watching as she focussed on her work. He watched her bite her lip when she wrote, he watched her brow furrow when she focused extra hard. He loved to watch her tie her hair up to reveal her elegant neck. He hated watching Weasel sit down next to her. He hated hearing the rumors of him whispering her name when he was out. He hated the slight blush that appeared on her cheeks when they were together. He hated the way she laughed at his jokes. He wanted to punch him until he could no longer be recognized, but that wouldn't do him any good. He needed her to remember the time they spent together, he needed her to remember the fairytale where he was her prince and she was his princess. He needed her to remember their kiss that set everything in motion. He needed the book.

He searched the entire Hogwarts library for the book Hermione had in her arms before they were thrown back in time. It had that picture of him and her and he could use it to remind her, to help her remember. It was the only thing he could think of. He was searching in the restricted section for the book when he heard someone clear their throat behind him. He turned, slightly startled.  
"You've been in here a lot lately," she stared at him. Her eyes softer than before, there was more curiosity than animosity in them now.  
"You baffle me with your keen observations," he replied, very aware of the sass he was giving her. This wasn't his Hermione, so he was allowed to sass her.  
"What are you looking for?" she asked, her head cocking to the side just a little. _Dear god, she's like a dog with a bone.  
_ "Nothing in particular," he answered, resuming his search.  
"If that were through, you would've left already. You keep looking for a book, tell me which." She was clever and she had probably been observing him for a while. My how the tables had turned.  
"I don't need your help," he answered.  
"Alright, you just continue on your futile quest," she turned away and started walking off. He closed his eyes and bit his lip.  
"Wait," she turned, the look of victory so apparent on her face. "I'm looking for a book on English royalty," he finally said.  
"You're interested in our royals now? What, you think there's some hidden Malfoy blood in there. It's not enough to just be rich, you need confirmation that you're royal too?" He rolled his eyes, if only she knew just how much Royal blood he had.  
"No, I'm just doing some research. It's a book about the royals around the 15th century, I do believe it was a muggle book." Hermione looked at him and raised her eyebrows.  
"Draco Malfoy looking for a muggle book, you feeling alright? You sure it won't burn you when you touch it?" she asked.  
"Are you going to help me or insult me?" he asked.  
"Oh, bite me, Malfoy." _Gladly._ "If it's a muggle book, chances are it's not in here. You'll need to find it in a muggle library or a book shop, so good luck with that." She turned to leave once more. He took his chance.  
"Have you ever heard of Argon?" he asked. She turned to him once more.  
"Argon, are you talking about the chemical element? Because if you are, then of course I have." He shook his head.  
"No, the country." She furrowed her brow.  
"There is no country named Argon," she answered haughtily.  
"There is, you should read up on its history. You might find something interesting."  
"What are you playing at, Malfoy," she hissed, taking a step towards him. Her face was mere inches from his, if he just tilted forward a little, he would be able to take her lips with his.  
"I'm not playing, just saying you should check it out. I know you like to read." He wanted to sound confident, but it came out as a whisper.  
"Stay away from me," she hissed before stalking off.

Draco waited for Hermione to find him. Either to hit him in the face, spit him out or yell at him. Any of those options would be fine because it would mean she had found the book. He divided his time between the room of requirement and the most obvious places. He needed her to be able to find him, he wasn't too keen on playing hide and seek. It took her long enough, after four days, he was beginning to despair. Maybe she couldn't find the book, maybe he overestimated her curiosity. It was late at night on a thursday when she finally found him. He was just minding his own business when she grabbed his arm and pulled him into an empty classroom.  
"I found your book," she hissed, pacing the room. He needed to stifle a laugh when he looked at her. She looked a mess, just like she had when Potter had bested her in potions. "Care to explain this to me?" she asked, walking over to him.  
"You already know this, Hermione," he answered, knowing it had been a gamble to use her given name.  
"Hermione?" she asked, a little bewildered.  
"Yes, Hermione," he repeated.  
"Nevermind, why is there a picture of me in this book, and even more, why is there a picture of you? Why does it say we got married?" she sounded like a raving lunatic. "Well, not you and I but these people that look exactly like us," she corrected herself.  
"No," he answered.  
"No what? Please use full sentences, Malfoy," she rolled her eyes.  
"Not people that look like us, us." Another gamble.  
"Are you insane? We did not get married. You have gone completely mad. Did you take another bludger to the head, is that what is happening?" she laughed a crazy laugh. He was losing his patience. He grabbed her upper arms and shook her once.  
"Yes me and you! Yes we got married! The guy in the picture is me and the girl is you. It's time for you to remember because you're driving me crazy, Hermione. I can't take this anymore. I can't watch you with the weasel anymore. You need to remember the prophecy, the kiss. Please!" For a little while she just looked at him, he knew there had to be all kinds of crazy thoughts going through her mind. "Please," he pleaded and heard his own desperation.  
"Malfoy, you sound insane," she finally whispered. "Let go of me," she added a little later when he didn't move or respond.  
"I know I sound insane, believe me. I wished I was like you, I wished I didn't remember either, it would make everything easier, but I can't."His mind was racing, he needed her to remember. He needed her to feel how much he loved her, he needed her back. There was only one thing left to try. He grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her as if his life depended on it, and in a way, it did. He felt her body stiffen for a second, terrified she would push him of, he put everything he had into the kiss. He needed her, he needed her like he needed oxygen and if this was the last time, he needed to get as much as he could. The next second, he felt her melt against him. Her hands grasping his neck as he pushed her against one of the desks. His tongue found hers just as it did the first time, she had to remember. That's why she was kissing him back, right?

 **Please please please read and review! Thanks guys!**


	25. Chapter 25

**a/n: Hey guys, a shorter chapter today because I'm super busy. Thanks to Anon for the review! Glad you like it. I hope you guys like the next chapter and please review if you do or if you have any suggestions! I love to hear from you guys.**

Chapter 25

She pressed her hands against his chest, and gentler than he had ever thought possible she pushed against him. He broke away from her, his eyes catching hers. He was having a hard time deciphering the look in her whiskey coloured eyes. Panic or maybe excitement, maybe both. He was panting and so was she, their chests rising and falling in unison. He pressed his forehead against hers and breathed her scent.  
"Hermione," he whispered, carefully, afraid to break the glass bubble they were residing in.  
"I can't do this," she whispered. "I don't know what you want me to remember, but it's not there. You and I don't act like this, we hate eachother. I don't know what is going on with you, but I want you to stay away from me," she answered, letting go of him and stalking off. His heart sank. There is nothing in the world that he could do to get her back. His Hermione was left in the past and he had absolutely no way of getting her back. He felt his last bit of sanity slipping. It was as if everything that had happened in the past had been erased, it was as if it never happened and he so desperately needed it to be real. He needed to be the Draco that loved Hermione and he needed her arms to help him through this mess. He would rather be Draco, the king of England than Draco Malfoy.

Months passed and Hermione grew bigger every day. She had been living a half life, desperately trying to move on and be strong for her baby, but remaining trapped in the memory of that final day with Draco. The queen mother had helped her organize the kingdom and Draco's death had united both hers and his kingdom into one had to deal with people questioning her reign, she had to deal with suitors desperately trying to get her to remarry, but worst of all, she had to deal with James's family. They blamed her for his death and even tried to steal her throne from under her, but she had chewed them out and taken all their belongings. She had arrested his father when it came out that he had planned the attack. She had arrested servants and guards, and she even kept Lola in the dungeons, not able to decide what to do with the girl. She spent most her days reading in her chamber, watching her belly grow and feeling her baby kick. She was exhausted and absolutely spent. She felt like she couldn't take any more. She wanted him back, she wanted him to hold her. She wanted to go home but she couldn't, for this baby was here and she knew that Draco would want her to take care of their child. Sometimes, Anna came and got her to go outside, walk for a little while. They often visited the crypt where Draco lay. She told him everything. How her baby kicked and she felt his movement in her belly. She told him she hoped he would have his eyes.

They brought in the paintings on a sunny winter morning. She remembered sitting for them.  
"I hope you find the paintings to your liking, my queen." Hermione nodded towards the artist as he had them hung in the throne room. There was a velvet cloth covering both canvasses.  
"We'll have a ceremony to reveal them later," the queen mother added.  
"No, I want to see him now," Hermione whispered, pressing her hand against her swollen belly. "I need to see him." The older woman protested, but she had the last say. As the servants pulled off the covers, Hermione once more met Draco's stormy grey eyes. It looked just like him. He was wearing the suit he had been wearing on their wedding day, she was wearing her wedding dress, their hands were clasped together and they were both smiling. Hermione remembered the paintings in the book and they looked nothing like this. In some little ways, they had in fact changed history. They would for ever be pictured together and she found some comfort in that. Her hand came up to the canvas, the dried oil paint rough under her fingers.  
"I miss you," she whispered softly as a tear slid down her cheek.

The same night, Draco woke to find an owl sitting on his bed. He recognized the snowy white animal immediately. _Potter._ What could he possibly want with Draco. The animal was carrying a package and a letter. The letter gave it away. It was wrapped in an envelope with elegant writing on it, his name in cursive. He gave the owl a treat and the animal left immediately, telling Draco that he wasn't to respond. He opened the letter and found and even more elegant note inside.

 _Draco,_

 _I don't know what's going on with you or what you were talking about today. I do know that this somehow seemed important to you, and even if you were playing a trick on me, I still wanted you to have it._

 _Hernione_

He reread the note a couple of times. It was so like her to always assume the best in people. He grabbed the package wrapped in parchment and opened it. Inside, he found the book that started it all. He sighed as he looked at it. The last thing he wanted was a reminder of everything that apparently didn't happen. He tried to stop himself, but couldn't help it. If he could see his Hermione this way, he would. He flipped through the pages until he found the short chapter on Argon. The page that used to hold the painting of Hermione was now void of any images and slightly panicked, Draco skipped pages looking for her. Had she been erased? His heart skipped a beat when he finally found her. The painting was nothing like the first ones they saw. There weren't two paintings, there was one and they were both on it. He remembered the day it was painted as if it was yesterday, every detail etched into his brain. She had looked so beautiful in her wedding dress. He would never get rid of this book, not even if he had to give his life to protect it, for it was the last connection he had to his Hermione.  
"I miss you," he whispered, slowly tracing his finger over her face.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Hi guys! I've managed to finish another chapter! I would really like to thank everyone that took the time to write a review or leave a follow! You guys keep me going!**

Chapter 26

Hermione woke one night when it was still dark out. A stabbing pain had woken her and when she cast the blankets off her body, she found they were stained with blood. She yelled for her guards and then everything started happening very fast. She felt a pain so strong she was sure her body would rip in half. A handful of physicians gathered around her bed and ordered her to do several things. They were whispering too, but she was in too much pain to care.  
"There is something wrong," she breathed, her hands pressed against her belly. "Please, he's in trouble!" she yelled at them. She wanted them to save her child, she wanted them to save the last part of Draco still in this world. Finally, it was Anna who jumped into action, grabbing one of Hermione's hands and guiding her.  
"Push, Hermione, one more." She screamed as another wave ran through her body. And then she heard it, a crying baby. One of the doctors grabbed the small infant and wrapped it in a blanket.  
"Give him to me," she ordered, she knew it was a boy before they told her. It was the queen mother who handed her the small boy with silver eyes.  
"What will you name him?" they asked. Hermione was aware of the people around her rushing and worrying. She felt her body grow weaker by the second and she felt her consciousness fade. She knew this was the moment. Her body was too tired to take this and she wasn't going to make it.  
"Draco, his name is Draco," she whispered and pressed a kiss on the small boy's head. "Remember that your parents loved you so much, your grandmother will tell you. Your father was the bravest man I have ever met and he saved me in every possible way. You don't have to worry about me, I'll find him and we'll always be with you" She pressed her forehead against his and felt tears fall down her cheek. She grabbed the necklace she had been wearing with both hers and Draco's ring on it and tied it around the tiny baby's wrist. "One day, you'll find a girl and you'll love her the way I loved your father, and you'll know it's right. These rings stand for everything that is love, and you should have them." She bit her lip to fight the tears and the black spots appearing in her vision. "Take him," she ordered the queen mother. The older woman complied and grabbed the infant from her weakening arms. "You have to raise him, you have to tell him about his father and mother and you'll have to take care of him because we can't." She was firm and clear. In her dying moments, she appointed the older woman regent until her son was of age. The physicians, the queen mother and Anna all watched as their queen slowly faded from the bloodloss. They heard her whisper one final word. "Draco."

Draco had spent another night cuddled up with the book Hermione gave him. He usually spent his nights quietly whispering to her as if she was still here. He told her about his day, about his mission but above all he told her he missed her more than words could say. If she were here, everything would be different. Maybe he wouldn't be so beyond help.  
"Ready to go, mate?" Blaise poked his head into Draco's tiny curtain fortress.  
"Yeah, sure, just give me a sec," he answered, jumping out of the bed and packing his bag, making sure the book was in there, safe and sound. He dressed in his robes and splashed some water in his face. He missed the velvet suits he got to wear back home. _Home._ He thought of the past as home now, because that's where he left her.  
"Man, I'm so hungry," Blaise groaned as they made their way to the great hall.  
"Yeah," Draco absentmindedly answered.  
"Hi, Dracey," Pansy sweetly purred as she joined them.  
"Hey, Pans." He wasn't too keen on having the girl around, but he was too exhausted to do much about it. At least she wasn't drugging him so Weasley could take Hermione away from him, that sort of thing only happened in the good old days. If he thought about it, their medieval times were filled with drama and danger, but it had given him the opportunity to finally be the prince on a white horse instead of the villain for once and he couldn't imagine a better princess to save. Blaise and Pansy quickly joined in a conversation about Lavender Brown and Draco tuned out. Not really in the mood to hear about the guy fawning over the girl he loved. They walked into the great hall and Draco's heart fell. There, in the middle, was Harry Potter talking to the girl he cursed, Katie Bell.

His heart was racing, his mind fogging up. The girl was probably telling him that he did it, he would probably be dead by morning. He ran out, his friends staring after him with a confused look in his eyes. He ran as far as his feet would carry him and collapsed against one of the sinks in the girl's lavatory, grasping it so tightly his knuckles went white. _Fuck, fuck, fuck._ He felt the tears run hot against his cheek.  
"I know what you did, Malfoy." He looked up, finding the raven haired boy looking in the same mirror, standing a little further. In that moment, Malfoy retorted to a flight or fight reflex, he would fight for that was what he was trained to do. He would fight to survive, he would fight for the slightest chance of a future with Hermione, even if there was none. He would fight for his mother, he would fight for his sanity and he would fight to die. Because he knew he would, there was no way he could win against a boy who still had everything to lose, while he had nothing left. He had lost everything and if it were to be this way, he would gladly accept his faith and die, for at least then he would be free of this terrible feeling. So he turned and threw a jinx at the other boy, starting the fight. He would always remember that he was the one that did that. They threw spells back and forth, shattering the sinks and causing debris and water to spill everywhere, Draco noticed that they were pretty closely matched. Neither gaining the upper hand. But then something snagged his attention.

Hermione woke up late that morning, or so she noticed. It had been quite the shock when she realised she was back in her dorm at Hogwarts, wearing her pajamas. The dorm was already empty and she couldn't find anything better to do than to dress in her robes and get down to the great hall, where everybody else would be. Nothing had changed. She was ready to leave if that meant that she got to be with Draco or if she would have ceased to exist. Enduring in a world where he was no longer alive wasn't what she wanted, it wasn't what she left her child for. She walked down the stairs, ignoring everyone that said hello. She didn't feel like being friendly, she didn't feel like herself anymore, not when a part of her was missing. She wrapped her arms around her frame, hugging herself and urging herself to continue. That's when she heard the noise coming from one of the bathrooms. It sounded like a series of small explosions and crashes and Hermione knew this to be the sound of a fight. Her feet picked up the pace and she ran towards the large double doors. The room was covered in debris and water, and even some smoke. the explosions continued until a boy emerged from the stalls, not just any boy, however, her boy.  
"Draco," she whispered, softly, barely audible. The moment his name left her lips, he turned towards her and time seemed to slow down so much it almost felt like it had stopped. His grey eyes found hers and she saw a small smile form on his lips. He felt warmth engulf his heart as he looked at her, for he felt like looking at the past. This was her, this was his Hermione and she had come back for him somehow. He felt like everything was going to be alright, he felt like he finally had something to live for again. She smiled softly at him and he whispered her name, his hand reaching out to her. Just when she wanted to run to him and grab hold of him, a spell hit him square in his chest, sending him flying backwards. Time started moving again, faster than it had before and Hermione gasped as she saw Draco laying in the water, desperately trying to breathe. She ran towards him and sank down on her knees next to him, into the water spilled over the entire floor. His white shirt was slowly turning crimson, like it had before.  
"No, please," she whispered. Draco's hand came up to her face and he made her look at him.  
"You can't do this do me again, please," she begged, her small hands desperately trying to put pressure on the wounds that appeared on his chest, there were just too many. Hermione didn't see Harry standing behind her, witnessing what he had caused.  
"You're here," Draco whispered softly through his tears.  
"I'm here, so you can't go, okay, please don't leave me again," her tears were rolling down her cheeks and she was panicking. "Please," she whispered, the fabric of his shirt bunched in her hands as she tried to hold on for dear life. "Please, I love you," she whispered. Draco didn't care that he was dying, he didn't care that all the blood was running out of his body, if that was the price he had to pay to see her once more, he would gladly pay it.  
"Hermione," he whispered softly before drifting away.  
"No, no, no, please, wake up, Draco," Hermione grasped his face and gently shook him. "Don't you dare do this, wake up!" She was yelling at him now.  
"Step away from him, Miss Granger," She barely even heard the low voice behind her. Otherwise she would have recognized it as Snape. He repeated his request, but Hermione didn't seem to be able to register it. It was Harry who grabbed her and pulled her away.  
"Take her to your common room and find me after," Snape ordered Harry before he dragged kicking and screaming from the bathroom. She watched as Snape knelt over Malfoy and whispered something, she watched until the doors fell closed, blocking her view.

It was a miracle that Harry got her back to the common room, where he finally let her go. He quickly ordered everyone but Ron out of the room before Hermione had a chance to react. As he turned to her once more, she charged at him, Ron barely managed to catch her around the waist and hold her back.  
"You killed him!" she shrieked, fighting against Ron. "You killed him! Do you realize what happened to the previous guy who tried to do so? I killed him," she spat, very aware of the venom in her voice.  
"Hermione, calm down," Ron was whispering against her ear as he held on to her, not knowing what all this was about.  
"I didn't mean to," Harry finally responded.  
"Who are we talking about here?" Ron asked, sounding very confused.  
"Malfoy," Harry responded.  
"I used one of the prince's spells and it.." he didn't finish.  
"It cut him open, there were cuts all over his body," Hermione struggled against Ron as she spoke, still desperately trying to get her hands on Harry.  
"I didn't know it would do that," Harry defended himself.  
"You can't really be that stupid, Harry, sectum literally means cuts and semper means always." She knew she sounded like a crazed bookworm right now but she didn't care. "You killed him," she hissed.  
"We're talking about Malfoy, right?" Ron recapitulated.  
"Yes, Ronald, keep up," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Let me go," she demanded. Ron glanced at Harry who carefully nodded. She felt his arms retreat.  
"Why are you this upset about Malfoy?" Ron finally asked, naming the elephant in the room.  
"He's a git, Hermione," Harry finally spoke. This time, Ron didn't catch her in time. She ran towards Harry and slapped him as hard as she could.  
"Shut up, Harry," she hissed as he grabbed her tiny hands to protect himself.  
"I don't even recognize you anymore," she finally said before storming out, leaving two very confused boys behind.

 **There you have it, please leave a review! I love to hear from you guys and don't worry, I've still got plenty planned for this story!**


	27. Chapter 27

**a/n: Hey guys, sorry for the shortest chapter ever, but I really wanted to give you guys something and I promise I'll add another one really soon! Before we start I would love to thank everybody who read and reviewed my story! I love reading every single one of your reviews and you make me want to get back to writing asap.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoy this very short chapter. Again, so sorry :(**

Chapter 27

Draco came to in the hospital, his vision blurred and foggy.  
"Can you hear me?" He recognized the voice.  
"Draco," it spoke again, this time more pressing. The dark haired man appeared in his vision, his hands bloody, definitely not the person he wanted to see right now.  
"I can hear you," he whispered, barely audible.  
"Good, how are you feeling?" the voice asked again.  
"Great," Draco answered in a voice dripping with sarcasm.  
"Don't sass me, boy, you almost died." Draco sighed.  
"Again," he added, softly.  
"What was that?" Snape asked, sounding pretty annoyed.  
"Nothing," Draco tried to sit up in the bed but found his movements blocked by a strong hand.  
"We need to talk," Snape insisted.  
"There is someone I want to see first," Draco tried to get up again.  
"Miss Granger, I know, that's what we need to talk about." Draco stopped struggling and looked at the greasy haired man. His face wasn't telling him anything good.

"What about her?" Draco asked, slightly worried.

"Did something happen to her?" he asked, his voice all but breaking.  
"She's fine, I'm sure she'll come barging in any second," the older man stated. "You need to stay away from her, I don't know what's going on between you two, but it can only end in death and misery." Snape's vision was trained on Draco, his gaze firm.  
"You don't get to tell me who I can be with," Draco snapped, frowning.  
"Draco," the older man grabbed the younger's hand. Draco looked down, slightly taken aback by the sudden gentleness in the potion master's voice.  
"I know how this feels, but you can't be with her. You might think that you two will defy the odds, believe me, I once did too." The cogs in Draco's mind were running overtime. "He will find out and he will take her from you in the worst way possible. She's already in enough danger by associating with Potter."  
"So we don't tell him?" Draco questioned.  
"You know it's not about telling him, we both know that he'll find out." Draco bit his lip. He knew he was right. Voldemort would find out and he would hunt her like a prey. "And even if you could hide in your mind, she would be devastated if she found out about your mission." He had forgotten about that, he had to admit. The second he had seen her, the real her, he had forgotten all about his mother and his mission. He had to stay as far away from her as he possibly could. He had to protect her, even if that meant losing her forever. Even if it meant dying a little himself.  
"You understand?" the older man asked once more, squeezing his hand gently. Draco nodded softly.  
"Good, now drink this." He handed him a concoction. "It'll help you sleep. You need it." Draco threw his head back and let the soothing liquid slide down his throat. He watched Snape leave before succumbing to the pull of sleep, the black robes the last thing he saw disappear through the huge double doors.

When he woke, it was dark out. He must have been sleeping for a good while. He shifted in his bed and found a weight on his legs. He let his eyes get used to the dark for a second before realising who was asleep on his bed. Her hair was sprayed over the covers, surrounding her head like a halo of hazel curls. His fingers carefully threaded through the strands, revelling in the feel of her soft hair. He noticed the soft rise and fall of her chest and her mouth slightly ajar. His fingers trailed over her cheekbones, carefully sliding down her nose over her lips, he wanted to commit her entire face to memory. Her eyelids fluttered before she slowly opened her eyes. The moonlight causing her ember eyes to glow. She smiled softly and breathed his name before throwing her arms around his neck. His arms wrapped around her tiny frame in response. He breathed in her familiar scent, trying to name every note so he could remember later.  
"You're here," he whispered.  
"I am," she answered against his neck. He pushed her off slightly, finding her eyes for a second before he pressed his lips against hers in a hungry need. She tasted exactly as he remembered, warm and sweet.  
"I missed you so much," he breathed against her lips.  
"I missed you more," she answered, smiling. "Tell me what happened," he whispered softly.  
"So much and yet so little. I basically retreaded to my chambers after you… well, left," she started, "it was terrible being there by myself, but I couldn't leave knowing he would be okay," he stopped her.  
"He?" he asked.  
"Yes, he," she smiled a sad smile and handed him the book she found in his bag, opened on the page after theirs.  
"His name is Draco, too." He looked at the painting. He looked so much like him, the same platinum hair, the same grey eyes. The boy was wearing a golden crown Draco knew very well and around his neck were two rings.  
"He is beautiful, right?" she asked and Draco grabbed her face in his hands.  
"He is perfect," he whispered, tears welling up in his eyes. "I'm just sad I'll never get to meet him," he added softly.  
"I know," Hermione answered. "I told him we loved him so much and I told his grandmother to tell him about you. I wrote him a letter too," she whispered.  
"You did?" he asked. She nodded soflty.  
"I didn't have much time with him, minutes, before I died and woke up here." He pulled her into his arms once more and hugged her tightly.  
"Please don't ever leave me again," she whispered.  
"I love you," he answered.  
"I love you too, Draco," she breathed against his neck.  
"Please don't hate me for this," he whispered, barely audible before grabbing his wand and pointing it against her head. Tears were rolling down his face as he carefully enunciated the word.  
" _Obliviate."_


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 27**

Hermione woke the next morning, safe and sound in her dorm. She had no memory of how she got there exactly, which seemed weird to her. She grabbed her stuff and got dressed quickly, noticing she was already late to breakfast. As she ran down the stairs, someone grabbed her arm and pulled her into an empty classroom.  
"What the hell?" she hissed, allowing her eyes a second to get used to the darkness.  
"You've got some explaining to do," she heard a familiar voice. His red hair stood out against the grey classroom.  
"Why?" she asked, puzzled.  
"You laid into Harry yesterday, screaming about him almost killing Malfoy. Then you bolted and spent the entire night by the git's side. Care to explain?" Hermione frowned. She spent the night by Malfoy's bed?  
"Harry shouldn't have used that spell, and you know it. He could've killed someone." Hermione started.  
"Yes, that I know, what I don't know is why you were so upset about Malfoy. He's an ass, Hermione," he took a few steps towards her and grabbed her hand. She knew he was right. Draco Malfoy was not a nice person. He had tormented her over the years, insulted her, treated her as if she was less than the filth underneath his shoe. Yet, her body was telling her something different. Her body was telling her something she couldn't quite place or name.  
"Hermione," Ron's finger traced down her cheek. She looked up at him, the boy she used to be in love with, but now she felt nothing but friendship. What was wrong with her.  
"I don't know," she answered honestly. He pulled her into a hug, wrapping her in his arms and protectively placing one hand atop her head.  
"It's okay, we all freak out sometimes, he whispered against her hair. He held her there for a little while, softly caressing her hair. Hermione tried, she tried so very hard to feel at ease with his arms around her. But everything about it felt wrong and her entire body was telling her to run.

Draco hadn't slept at all after she left the night before. He felt terrible about what he had done. He had gotten her back for all of a few minutes, and then he took it all away. Every memory she had about their time in the past, about his love for her, about everything that they gotten through for each other. She would no longer remember how much he loved her and that she loved him, too. She wouldn't remember their tragic, but epic love story. He had taken that from her, to protect her. He had spent the last couple of months desperately trying to get her to remember and now he had made her forget. It hurt him more than he could ever explain, but at least she would be safe staying away from him, at least she would survive this war. Tonight was the night war would finally reach Hogwarts, the last truly safe place he had left would be taken from him today. It would also be taken from all other students and it would put all muggleborn students in peril, but he had no choice. At least she would be relatively safe around Potter, he would never let anything bad happen to her.

Hours later, when it was dark out, Draco got out of his hospital bed. His bare feet touching the cold stone floor. He got dressed and made his way to the room of requirement. His heart beating loudly in his ears and growing stronger with each step he took. He wanted to turn and run, he wanted to find Hermione and grab her, take her far away and wait for all this to be over. But he had to do this, he owed his mother that much. When he finally stood in front of the large doors, it didn't take him long to visualize what he was looking for, throwing them open seconds later. They were already there, waiting for him, looking menacing and evil. His aunt threw her arms around him.  
"Well done, Draco," she whispered soflty in his ear.  
"Now, go finish your task." She nudged him out the door and Draco dreaded what he would have to do next. He left the company of evil wizards in his wake, they would be dealing with other things. He had been studying Dumbledore's habits for the past few weeks. He spent his nights stargazing before going to sleep after a nice shot of firewhiskey. Yes, he was very thorough in his research. He made his way up the stairs, feeling like he was walking up the the gallows, dreading so desperately what he needed to do.

Hermione was patrolling the halls with Ron tonight, Harry had asked them to, since he had been suspecting an attack was imminent. Apparently, she had been doing it for a while, but she couldn't seem to remember that at all. Her memory seemed to be failing her miserably, like there were big chunks missing, months, actually. And her memory seemed even more foggy when thinking about Draco Malfoy. Everytime Harry brought up the young Slytherin, her mind got so scrambled, like a mist invaded and everything surrounding the blonde haired boy was vague and incomprehensible. She remembered seeing him bleeding on the floor, but she couldn't remember running towards him. She remembered his face as he was talking to her, but she couldn't make out what he was saying, it sounded distorted, as if someone had tampered with the sound recording. She felt herself drawn towards him anyways, and she couldn't understand why. Maybe it was because Harry was convinced he was a deatheater and she had been hearing about him for the past couple of months? In any case, it made her restless. Ron grabbed her hand, pulling her back into reality.  
"You alright?" he asked, his thumb softly brushing over the back of her hand. She smiled at him, baring her teeth in an attempt to mask her confliction.  
"I'm fine, just a little tired," she answered.  
"Me too," he answered.  
"The sky is restless, I think there'll be a storm tonight," she noticed staring out of a window. The sky was that stormy grey it only was when a storm was incoming. Dark clouds blocking the moon that occasionally came out for a second. It was one of these seconds of bright moonlight that struck a nerve with Hermione. A memory, or at least something like that, came flooding in. She saw stormy grey eyes, filled with love and care, and she saw platinum blonde strands of hair falling in front of them, She saw streaks of red blood on the alabaster skin of the face with the grey eyes. It was there one second, and the next it was gone. Like a deja vu, or something like that. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. It was then she noticed that very same blonde haired boy sneaking into the astronomy tower stairwell, and her Gryffindor courage kicked in.  
"Hey, Ron, I just remembered something, I'll be right back," she didn't wait for Ron's response and just ran as fast as she could, determined to catch up with the Slytherin.

He wasn't there, Dumbledore wasn't where he was supposed to be. Draco was sinking into a panic. If he wasn't able to fulfill his task, he would meet his end soon enough. He needed to see this through, there was no other way. Maybe he could just go to the old man's office? He knew the password, he had seen Harry utter it plenty of times. Yes, that would be the plan, he would go there and the old man would be there. He turned and made his way down, reaching the room underneath the top level in seconds. It was there he met the ember eyes that haunted his dreams. Her wand threateningly pointed towards him.  
"What are you doing here?" he asked, forgetting his place in all his worry.  
"I need some answers," she uttered, sounding slightly confused but very determined. Draco didn't have time for this, he needed to get out.  
"What answers could I possibly have for you, Granger," he hissed, trying desperately to add as much venom as possible to his voice.  
"Why do I keep seeing fragments of memories with you in them?" His eyes grew big. She shouldn't be seeing anything of those memories.  
"Well, we've been classmates for a while now, I would think you'd have some memories of me." He tried to sound confident, throwing her off his scent.  
"No, those aren't the memories I'm talking about." He bit his lip. "I see you, your eyes, looking at me and I see blood, and .. " she broke off, as if there was something she didn't want him to know. Draco's panicked mind was searching for a way out. She shouldn't know any of this, he was very skilled at memory charms, learned from the master himself.  
"Maybe because you punched me in our second year," he tried. She shook her head.  
"No, I can remember everything about that moment and it's crystal clear." She remained quiet for a little while and he followed her example. "Why do I feel like this?" she finally asked, her voice breaking.  
"Like what?" he asked, feeling like his heart was getting the upper hand.  
"Like there is something I'm missing, a piece of myself. Like there is a part of me missing," a tear rolled down her cheek and all he wanted to do was hold her. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and take her away. He wanted to kiss her and tell her everything would be alright.  
"Why do I feel drawn to you?" she whispered, barely audible. He took a step towards her, forgetting everything about his task.  
"Her... Granger," he whispered, wrapping one of his hands around hers, her wand now poking his jugular.  
"Why?" she repeated, tears streaming down her cheeks. He had messed up somehow, she was confused and hurt over something she couldn't remember.  
"Please tell me," she repeated. He shook his head, his other hand carefully grabbing his own wand from his pocket. He took another step, and Hermione took one backwards. She ended up with her back against the wall and had nowhere left to run.  
"I'm sorry," he whispered before casting a quick stupify and stunning the girl where she stood. Her unconscious body sliding down the wall, he grabbed her to prevent her from getting hurt and hid her under the stairs, where he was sure she would be safe. He pressed a soft kiss on her lips and turned around, he still had a job to do. He wiped the tears from his eyes and started walking down the stairs. That's when he heard the familiar _pop_ at the top of the stairs, followed by the familiar voice of the headmaster.

Later, Hermione would find out from Harry that he found her there, unconscious. She would also hear that Dumbledore died, or rather, was murdered and that Draco Malfoy was to blame for it all. The next morning, after the funeral, she joined Harry in the astronomy tower, where he stood looking over the grounds.  
"We've got to find them, Hermione," he whispered, the locket firmly clasped in his hands.  
"I know," she whispered.  
"I have no idea where they are," he continued.  
"We'll figure it out, Harry." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it softly. "You, Ron and me, we'll figure it out."


	29. Chapter 29

**a/n: Hey guys! I have another chapter ready for you! Also, I'm going to be talking about some parts of the war and leave others out seeing we all know what happened :) (I hope that answers your question, Aveca. Thanks for the review! :D ) not all of it will be canon with the DH but we'll get to that when we have to! I hope you enjoy this chapter.  
Please review, I love hearing what you guys think!**

 **Chapter 29**

 _Months later_

Draco's heart sank when his aunt called him down. He hated that dreadful woman. She tortured everyone in his household, except maybe his mother. She had been trying to teach Draco her tactics, so he could follow in her wicked footsteps. Her shrill voice filled the hallway once more.  
"Draco, come down quickly." He rolled his eyes and made his way downstairs, where she was waiting for him.  
"We need you, Draco," she wrapped her arm around his shoulders and guided him into the living room, where three figures were sitting on their knees, being held by snatchers. He first recognized the red hair, that definitely belonged to a Weasley. His heart sank. There was a dark haired boy next to him, his face all swollen and painful looking. And last in the tiny row, was a girl. Her auburn hair in front of her face as she leaned forward. He froze. His mind desperately trying to calm his panic. _It's not her, it's not them. There are a thousand Weasleys, it could be anyone. It's not Hermione._ The next second, as if she had heard her name in his thoughts, she looked up at him. Her auburn curls falling back and her ember eyes finding his. His heart stopped. His worst nightmare, his one true fear, the one thing he was so desperately trying to avoid.  
"We need you to tell us if it's him," his aunt whispered in his ear, purring. Draco was unable to pull his eyes from hers, trying to read her soul. What was she thinking? Did she hate him? And if she did, was that really the worst thing. The snatched brought the black haired boy to him, dropping him to his knees in front of him. His aunt grabbed a fistful of black hair and pulled. There he was, after all these months, face to face with Harry Potter.

Hermione was desperately struggling against her captors. The vile creatures didn't loosen their grip on her. It was only when something made her look up that she stilled. The grey eyes that haunted her dreams making her freeze right there on the spot. Time seemed to stop for a second and she took a moment to take him in. He looked like he had been through the ringer. His platinum hair disheveled and hanging loosely in his eyes. His face all angles and sharp edges, his skin pale as alabaster. He looked as cold as the marble underneath her knees felt. That was, all of him except his eyes. His eyes drew her in, like they were somehow familiar. Like they held memories and warmth. Finding them felt like coming up for fresh air after being close to drowning for months. She watched carefully as the wicked witch next to him whispered in his ear, her lips almost touching his skin. She watched him shiver, just a little, barely even noticeable. She didn't take his eyes of him as they dragged Harry from her side. She didn't even know why, it's not like she was pleading for him to save them, because he couldn't and more importantly, there was no reason why he would. But there was something about him, something so right and familiar. It was only when he averted his eyes to look at Harry that she was finally released from the spell that kept her there and she resumed struggling.  
"I'm not sure," she heard him whisper, making her heart beat even harder. He was saving them. There was no way he didn't know that he was looking at Harry Potter, yet he kept it a secret. He was helping them. His eyes claimed hers once more, sending jolts down her spine. There was so much in the air that was left unsaid in that moment.  
"We can't call him without being sure, he'll kill us all!" Bellatrix hissed, sending shivers down Hermione's arms. "Come on, sweetie," she sweetly purred in Draco's ear. Hermione watched the entire scene, taking everything in. The was Narcissa and Lucius stood in the far corner of the room, observing with a nervous tension. The way Lucius's hair looked unkempt, tangled and even a little dirty. The way his hand was clasping the cane as if he really needed it to keep upright these days. Draco's gaze turned towards them and they nodded to him, desperately pleading for him to give them Harry Potter. But he didn't.  
"I can't be sure," he whispered, his voice breaking. Bellatrix groaned and turned towards the other snatches, ready to tear into them. Her mouth opened to speak, but she halted, shocked by something she saw. Hermione couldn't see what it was.  
"Where did you get that?" she hissed, her voice dripping with venom.  
"It was in her bag when we searched her, reckon it's mine now." Those last words sent everything in a whirlwind. Bellatrix sent several spells towards the snatchers and they released their grip on the prisoners. Hermione tried to crawl away, but found her path blocked by Lucius. He grabbed her and held her to his body, trapping her in his grip.  
"No you don't, little girl," he whispered in her ear. Meanwhile, the snatchers disappeared, running with their tail between their legs. Bellatrix holding the sword in her creepy, taloned hands.  
"Lock the boys in the cellar," she whispered, before walking over to Hermione and grabbing her face in her hands, her long, sharp nails digging into her skin. "Leave the girl to me."

Draco watched as his aunt stood there, holding the face of the girl he loved in her hands. His mother grabbed his shoulder and urged him out of the room. His heart was racing and he couldn't help but struggle against her grip, but she just strengthened it and pulled him away. He looked at Hermione, her gaze defiantly fixed on Bellatrix. _Do your worst._ That's what he imagined she was saying, daring her to touch her, daring her to try whatever and telling her that she would get nothing. He knew she would break. Bellatrix could make even the strongest men fall to their knees and beg for their lives. He knew she would break and tell her everything and he also knew that wouldn't stop her. His mother pulled him out the door and up the stairs. He watched as the door fell closed, and Hermione disappeared behind it. His mother closed the door of his bedroom.  
"What are you doing?" she hissed, grabbing his shoulders and pushing him against the wall.  
"I'm not doing anything," he answered, his mind racing and his heart beating in his ears.  
"You need to tell us if that is Harry Potter, it could save our skins," his mother insisted, her voice sounding fragile.  
"I can't be sure," he repeated his answer. His mother sighed.  
"Well, that jinx will be wearing off soon and we'll know," the woman answered. At that moment, gut wrenching screams filled the manor. Digging into Draco's ears and filling his heart with even more terror.  
"She'll talk soon," his mother smirked a little and let go of him before walking out of the room. The screams got louder and even more desperate and Draco pressed his palms against his skull to tune them out, to no avail. They cut him skin deep, hurting him more than anything else ever had. Tears streamed down his cold cheeks. There he was, a coward, sitting in his room while the girl he loved was getting tortured to death by his insane aunt and there was nothing he could do about it. If he went down there, his aunt would see what was going on and she would kill her in the worst possible way. There was literally nothing he could do. He was failing in the one thing he swore he would do right.

Hermione screamed as the knife dug into her skin, drawing blood. The evil witch savoured every cut as she slowly dragged the metal down her arm.  
"Please, I didn't steal it," she repeated for the tenth time. But the woman didn't stop. She continued what she called her work of art, repeating the same questions over and over again.  
"How did you get into my vault?" she hissed against Hermione's ear.  
"I didn't," Hermione repeated, tears streaming down her face. After what seemed like an eternity, she let go of her. Leaving her a bloody mess on the ground and focussed her attention on the goblin who appeared to be another prisoner. Hermione looked at her arm and bit her lip hard. The word _Mudblood_ was carved deeply into her skin and it would be there forever. It was then that Draco Malfoy entered the room, standing in the doorway, a horrified look on his face and his gaze fixed on Hermione. After a few seconds, he tore his eyes away and turned his attention to his aunt.  
"How can I help?" he asked, sounding steady and ready.  
"Ah Draco, perfect," she smiled at the boy. "Let's see if you've learned anything from your lessons with me over the months," she pressed a hand to the boy's cheek. "Take her and find out everything she knows about Potter," she ordered. Draco nodded hesitantly and walked over to Hermione. He grabbed her by the arms and roughly pulled her to her feet. Hermione struggled against his grip. She had been so wrong about him, he wasn't helping at all. She then noticed the flash of red hair at the bottom of the stairs towards the cellar, just for a split second before the door fell closed.


	30. Chapter 30

**a/n: Hey guys! I hope you like this new chapter! Please let me know what you think!**

 **Chapter 30**

Draco dragged her up the stairs to his room, or she assumed it was his room. The entire room reeked of Slytherin. The furniture was all dark wood and gothic, every inch of fabric was velvet green or black and silver elements were added. Hermione expected him to throw her to the floor and kick her even bloodier than she already was but he didn't. He walked her over to a green velvet sofa and sat her down carefully. Turning around and muttered some spells Hermione recognized as silencing spells and protective enchantments. He turned back to her and knelt in front of her. Hermione watched him with a weary eye, not trusting him one bit even though her heart was telling her to. He grabbed her hand and she jerked back. He looked up at her, not hiding the disappointment in his gaze.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he finally whispered, his grey eyes holding hers. He waited a second before grabbing her hand again, pulling it towards his chest gently, so that her arm was stretched. He grabbed a piece of damp cloth and softly dabbed the blood from her arm, gently cleaning the wound.

"The blade is spelled, so I can't prevent this from scarring," he explained quietly.

"I know," she finally answered. He placed the tip of his wand against the skin of her arm and whispered a spell Hermione didn't recognize. She watched the cuts heal to white marks.

"It'll hurt for a while," he continued. Hermione nodded softly and hugged her arm against her chest as he let her go, not wanting him to look at the offensive mark anymore. He looked at her and pressed a hand against her cheek, carefully rubbing his thumb across her cheekbone, desperately trying to tell her that it didn't matter to him anymore. His cold hands sent warm ripples through her body.

"Why didn't you tell them?" she finally asked, her eyes finding his and her mind trying to understand the feeling he gave her. He sighed deeply before answering her.

"I would never do anything that would harm you," he finally answered. Hermione frowned a little, not understanding what he meant.

"You never answered my question," she started. He left his hand fall down on the velvet of the sofa.

"I thought I just did," he answered, one eyebrow raised.

"Not that one," Hermione continued, feeling secure enough to pry. "The one I asked you in the astronomy tower, about all the images of you flying through my head." She watched his hands clenched into fists, making the skin on his knuckles even whiter than before. "They aren't gone, you know," she continued, unable to help herself. She needed to finally make sense of all of it, and her heart was telling her that he was the one who held the key. "I dream of you," she threaded into dangerous territory, resulting in a gasp from his mouth.

"You do?" he asked. She nodded softly. "They don't make much sense, it's just a combination of jumbled up images, but you are in all of them." She let that sink in for a moment, allowing him a second to catch his thoughts. He grabbed her face in his hands, shocking her a little.

"Hermione, I.." he started, but he never got a chance to finish that sentence, because in that moment a loud pop sounded through the room and three figures appeared in the room. Draco let go of her and pointed his want towards the trespassers, but he was outmatched. It didn't take more than a second for Malfoy's wand to fly into Harry's hand.

"Hermione," Ron gasped and ran over to her, completely ignoring Malfoy. He gathered her in his arms.

"If you ever touch her again, I'll kill you," Ron hissed at Draco before Harry threw a jinx at Draco that left him unconscious.

He woke up hours later, tied in heavy chains in a dark metal room. It took him a minute to adjust his eyes to the darkness, but when he finally did, he found someone sitting in front of him.

"I see you're finally awake." He recognized the voice of the man he had hated most his life, or at least all his time at Hogwarts.

"What am I doing here?" he asked, trying to sound firm.

"You're not the one asking the questions." Harry inched his chair closer. "We need some information." Draco smirked and shook his head.

"I reckon that's the only reason I'm still alive, right?" Harry nodded, he was never one for theatrics.

"Where is Hermione?" Draco asked. "I can't imagine a reason why I should tell you," Harry answered.

"Tell me what you know, tell me where they're holed up, tell me what Voldemort tells them, tell me everything, and then we'll see if I'll give you any information." Draco sighed. He could give Harry what he wanted, there was no reason not too. And maybe, just maybe, he'd get to see Hermione. But the arrogant and hard headed voice inside his head yelled loudly to not give them anything.

"I won't tell you anything," he spat, very nearly actually spitting. Harry shook his head.

"Then I can't help you," Harry stood and made for the door, but just before he opened it, Draco spoke.

"I'll tell her," he finally said, slowly, so Harry had time to let the information sink in, before he turned around.

"What?" he asked, causing Draco to roll his eyes.

"I'll talk to Hermione, not to you, if you want the information, you'll bring her to me." It took a second for Harry to finally respond.

"You don't get to make demands." He turned and left.

Hermione sat in the kitchen of the home Harry had taken them. It was an old house, she didn't exactly know where, but Harry told her no one lived there anymore. Ron was still fussing over her, making her food and asking her every three minutes if she was alright and if Malfoy did anything to her.

"I'm fine, Ron," she repeated, clutching her arm as to hide the scar that still resided there.

"You're not fine, tell me," he insisted.

"I already told you, he didn't do anything to me, he just brought me to his room and then you showed up," she repeated for the hundredth time.

"Well, something sure as shit happened," Harry was leaning against the doorframe. Hermione looked at him, the boy who lived. He looked weary, like she probably did. "He's asking for you," he added, although it sounded more like a sneer.

"What?" Ron gasped. "You can't send her to him," he protested.

"Of course I won't, she'll stay here and we figure out why he's asking for her." The boys continued arguing.

"Maybe he's trying to manipulate us," Ron nodded.

"Maybe he imperiused her, she has been acting odd," he added.

"Excuse me?" Hermione protested, offended both boys didn't seem to trust her.

"That is true, but shouldn't that spell have broken when I stunned him?" he asked, ignoring Hermione. They continued for a while, talking about her like she wasn't there until she had enough. She grabbed one of the bread rolls Ron had made her and threw it at both boys, hitting Ron right in the eye.

"Oi, what the hell?" he hissed, but it worked. Both boys stopped to look at her.

"I am not just some bint, I am Hermione Granger. I sure as hell am not under any imperius and I can take care of myself." She was yelling, as she knew both boys were a little scared of her when she was. "We need information, and if he's willing to tell me, than I will go talk to him." Harry walked over to her and grabbed her shoulders.

"Hermione, you can't," he whispered softly.

"Why not?" she asked and both boys grew quiet.

"He is dangerous," they both answered in unison.

"No, he isn't," she righted her shoulders, "if he wanted to hurt me, he would've done it back at the manor, he didn't." When they remained quiet, she walked out the door, determined to go see Malfoy. When she opened the door to the room they kept him, she was a little shocked at how they had left him. His hand and feet were bound with magical chains, tying him to a wooden chair, his wrists were bloody and his face was too. He had a large cut on his forehead that had covered his face in crusted blood. He looked up when she entered the room, his gaze once again catching hers. Hermione couldn't believe either Harry or Ron would do this, but war made different men out of everyone. She knelt in front of him and conjured a piece of cloth and a bowl of water. He didn't say anything when she dabbed the wet cloth against his cold skin, cleaning of the blood from his matted hair.

"Did Ron do this? she finally asked.

"Does it matter?" he asked, his voice shallow.

"It does," she finally decided. He remained quiet for a little while before nodding softly.

"I'm sorry," she finally whispered.

"He seemed to have it in his head that I did something to you," Draco finally continued.

"Well, I told him you hadn't," she answered. "You asked for me," her tiny fingers unbound the chains on his wrists and ankles, setting him free.

"I'm sure you shouldn't be doing that," he quirked an eyebrow.

"I do whatever I want, and if you had wanted to hurt me, you would already have," he rubbed his wrists, feeling how sore they were after being wrapped in iron for hours, or had it been days? "Why didn't you?" He looked at her, her eyes betraying her. She was inquisitive and confused.

"Why didn't I what?" he toyed with her for a second.

"Why didn't you hurt me?"

"You know I wouldn't."

"Harry needs information," she said after a couple of minutes of silence.

"I'm sure he does."

"I need information," she corrected. "I need you to help us." He looked at her, if only she knew that he was ready to murder the entire world to protect her, she wouldn't even have to ask.

"I'll tell you everything I know," he answered, a smirk gracing his face.

"You will?" she asked, her eyebrows raised.

"I will." He couldn't help himself and his hand shot out to caress her cheek. He expected her to shy away from him, but she didn't.

"Okay," she sighed, not moving away from him. "Start talking."


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

When Hermione emerged from the cell, it was hours later. Harry and Ron had been pacing the hall, desperately trying to find a way in and drag her out, but she was the one gifted at protective enchantments. Ron was on her in seconds, his hands grabbing her upper arms and slightly digging into them. His mouth opened but she held up her hand and beat him to it.  
"I'm fine, Ronald," she insisted.  
"What did he say?" Harry asked, his voice nervous and shaky.  
"A lot, he had a lot to say," she answered, sighing.  
"You know who's wand isn't working, he isn't able to hurt you with it, so he's been trying to use other wizard's wands, but to no avail, he's starting to get desperate." Harry nodded, allowing the information to sink in.  
"Also, Draco told me how to get into Bellatrix's vault at Gringotts," she continued. Ron looked at her, his hand wrapping around hers, a worried look gracing her face.  
"You can't believe a word he's saying, he could be walking us into a trap." His thumb brushed her cheek, sending a shiver down her spine.  
"I don't think he is," she protested. Ron threw his hands in the air in frustration.  
"How can you be this naive, Hermione?" he asked her, his voice ripping into her.  
"Why would he lie?" she defended herself, leaning against the door.  
"I am not naive, Ron, I trust him, I think." That definitely was the wrong thing to say.  
"You trust him?" he hissed, turning to her, his face inches from hers. "You trust that foul git?" Hermione bit her lip, trying to ignore her trembling hands.  
"You trust him over me?" he asked, hovering over her.  
"What? How is that even a question right now?" she asked, incredulously.  
"Ron, come on," Harry grabbed his shoulders and pulled him off her.  
"Go calm down, I'll deal with this." Ron groaned but obeyed, walking down the stairs mumbling. Harry turned to Hermione, changing the subject.  
"So he knows how to get into the vault?" Harry asked her. Hermione closed her eyes and leaned back against the metal door.  
"He does, but there is a catch," she answered.  
"Of course there is."  
"He has to take one of us, and he will only take me." Harry groaned.  
"That sounds like a trap, Hermione," he insisted. She knew he was right, but her gut feeling was telling her that he was to be trusted and that he wouldn't do anything to hurt her.  
"I trust him, Harry," she whispered softly.  
"Is there something else I should know about?" Harry asked, his eyes piercing hers. She bit her lip,  
"no, there isn't, he's just changed, okay?" Harry nodded softly and turned away from her.  
"I need to talk to him first," he insisted. Hermione didn't protest when he pushed her aside and rushed into the room.

Draco was still sitting in the chair, waiting for Hermione to come back like she had told him she would. Imagine his disappointment when Harry freaking Potter came barging in looking all bothered.

"She freed you?" he hissed, his voice hoarse. Draco threw his hands up.

"Alright, you may have Hermione fooled, but I'm not as easily convinced." Draco saw that the boy who lived was clutching his wand tightly, itching to hex him.

"If you think Hermione is easily fooled, you don't know the first thing about her."

"And you do?" Harry spat.

"I know her better than you ever will," he answered, his silver eyes never letting go of Harry.

"Don't be ridiculous, you know nothing about her." Draco smirked.

"I know her, she won't remember if you'd ask her now, but I know her," he was getting angry now, tired of having to prove to everyone how much he cared for her.

"I know her, and…." he stopped for a moment, groaning in frustration.

"You can take me or Ron to Gringotts, but not Hermione. I won't put her in harm's way like that." Draco shook his head.

"It won't work with you or Ron, it has to be her. I won't take anyone but her." Harry rushed forward and grabbed Malfoy by the throat, slamming him against the iron wall.

"I don't trust you for a second, you little shit," he hissed against Malfoys ear. "If you think we'd let her go with you without protection, you're crazy." He tightened the grip on his throat, constricting Draco's airway. "If you so much as touch her, I will kill you, and it'll be long and painful. I'll drag it out until you beg for it, do you understand?" Harry asked. Draco didn't answer and Harry pulled him off the wall then threw him back against it with a skull cracking force. "Do you understand?!" he yelled so loudly and forcefully that tiny droplets of spit spattered Draco's face. He leveled his gaze with Harry's and hoarsely answered.

"I understand."

"Good," Harry answered, letting go of Draco and strutting out of the room.

Hermione sat in the kitchen of the house once more, waiting for Harry and Ron to be done arguing. They argued like they were her parents, which might not be a bad thing, seeing how her parents wouldn't argue over her anymore.

"You can't be serious?" she heard Ron scream. He definitely wasn't up for the mission. He didn't want her anywhere near Draco. Neither did Harry for that matter, but he was always better at seeing the bigger picture. Hermione got up and stormed into the living room.

"I'm tired of you guys talking about me like I am not here," she stated as both boys looked at her. "I am telling you that I am going to Gringotts and I am retrieving that cup." Both boys remained silent for a second, Ron was the first to move.

"I don't trust him," he repeated, walking towards her.

"You don't have to. You have to trust me, you have to trust that I know what I am doing." He grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently.

"I do trust you," he whispered.

"So let me go," she asked. He shook his head softly.

"I don't want to lose you," he bit his lip. Hermione cupped his cheek, gently brushing her thumb against his skin.

"You won't," she whispered softly before planting a soft kiss on his cheek. Ron didn't protest as she left the room.

Draco looked up when Hermione entered the room, feeling that familiar flutter in his chest.

"We're going to Gringotts," she informed him before throwing him his wand. He caught it in mid air and stared at her.

"They're letting you come with me?" he asked, slightly surprised.

"They trust me," she answered, walking over to him and stopping an inch short of his face. "Don't mistake me for being an easy target, Malfoy. Any funny business and I'll kill you myself." Her breath tickled his skin and it took everything he had not to grab on to her neck and kiss her.

"No funny business," he repeated softly. He didn't miss the way her gaze drifted towards his lips. The next second, she was walking away from him and out the door. He took a second to gather himself before trailing after her.

"Do you have the cloak," he asked, catching up to her. She nodded, gesturing towards her tiny purse.

"Okay, let's go then," he offered her his hand and she reluctantly took it before apparating.

They landed in a dusty room covered in broken glass, there were wand cases littered across the floor.

"Where did you take us?" he asked, still holding her hand, not keen on letting go.

"Ollivander's," she answered. Draco looked around, the entire store had been destroyed. He'd heard about that of course, but seeing it was another story.

"I bought my first wand here," he whispered softly, barely audible.

"We all did," Hermione let go of his hand and started digging in her purse, pulling out a cloak that looked like it was made of liquid silver and other precious metals.

"That's it?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's it." They both grew quiet for a second when they heard noises out in the street.

"Take me over the plan again," she whispered, looking at him. He knew she was nervous and scared, but would go through with it anyway.

"Okay, you go invisible and I access my vault, once were in one of those little trains, we imperius the goblin. Bellatrix's vault is right next to my family's so it won't be that hard. We'll be in and out in half an hour, tops."

"That sounds way too optimistic, but sure."

"Just because all the plans your Weasley and Potter ever cooked up didn't go smoothly, doesn't mean mine won't." He was slightly offended by her mistrust.

"They were my plans," she hissed before wrapping herself in the cloak. He rolled his eyes and groaned, he had literally no game left.

"Let's go," he heard her whisper in his ear. He shivered at her breath brushing against his skin, but moved ahead anyway, feeling her close to him, following his every move.

Diagon alley was muddy and desolate, like it had been abandoned by all good people and inhabited by the evil ones. Hermione took care to step in Draco's footsteps to not leave her own. His feet were a lot bigger than hers, so that made it easier. It didn't take them long to reach Gringotts.

"Ready?" he whispered, softly. She brushed his hand against his in answer and they walked in together. Draco held his head high and his nose even higher as he walked right to the front desk.

"I wish to enter my vault," he ordered in that stuck up way only purebloods could. The goblin sitting in front had long white hair that seemed to frame his warty, wrinkled face like a halo. He leaned forward and eyed Draco before speaking.

"I need your wand," he spoke slowly and threateningly. Draco didn't waver but presented his wand and slammed it onto the desk. The goblin took the wand and inspected it, taking his sweet time.

"I'm waiting, half breed," Draco hissed, causing several others to look his way.

"Very well, you can follow him," the goblin finally gestured towards another and Draco nodded, following the other goblin to the gondolas. Draco got in after the tiny creature and he felt Hermione sit down next to him, her hand grabbing his and squeezing softly, reassuring him that she was still there.

"Here you are, mister Malfoy," the goblin exited the vehicle and gestured towards a large vault door, opening it and revealing the contents. Hermione had to clasp her hands over her mouth to not make a sound. The vault was huge and overflowing with precious metals, diamonds, rubies and coin. Malfoy was loaded. Hermione had barely recovered from the contents of the vault when Malfoy pulled out his wand and cast a quick imperius on the goblin.


End file.
